Keys of Ice
by TheVegetaFiles
Summary: Gray and Lucy go off on an "easy" job. What they find is a mysterious disaster that could change the course of their world. Several mythological gods have been trapped in celestial keys and they must all be brought together to break the curse, returning the world to order. But along the way, will Gray and Lucy also find something powerful exists between them? Set after Edolas arc.
1. An Easy Job

"'This was supposed to be a _simple_ job'. She says." Horologium, Lucy's celestial clock spirit announced. He happily trudged up the snowy hill, with Lucy tucked away inside himself.

"It will be, once we reach that clearing up ahead." Gray pointed down about a mile in front of them to a strange area that was devoid of snow. While the entire landscape around them was covered in slush and ice, this small, circular area stood apart. Green grass covered the clearing, and Gray could barely make out small flowers dotting it as well.

The job listing had claimed that strange weather patterns had been affecting the area, negatively impacting a nearby town. One day, they would experience horrific blizzards. The next day, the snow would all have melted away to be replaced by temperatures well into the 100s (Fahrenheit). The odd patterns had annihilated the town's crops, making it near impossible for the townsfolk to have enough food. Through surveillance, the town's mayor and a few of the braver townspeople had determined it was due to a wizard living within the clearing. However, they lacked the magical abilities to combat the wizard.

A lead regarding the whereabouts of the dragons had caused Natsu and Wendy to be gone for the last several days. With Lucy in desperate need of rent money, she had convinced Gray and Juvia to take the job with her. A group of three Fairy Tail wizards had been requested by the town. One wizard should be no problem for the trio.

Lucy had hoped they would happen upon the area during one of the warmer phases. To her dismay, however, they were within one of the worst blizzards the town had experienced yet. Donning a red tank top and jean miniskirt, she crossed her arms, attempting to stay warm within Horologium.

"Isn't this weather the best?" Gray teased. He wore only a black pair of pants. It was clear that the ice make wizard was in his element.

Juvia's teeth chattered as she responded. "Y-yes. Su-such l-l-lovely weath-th-ther." Lucy simply glowered at Gray in response.

Several minutes passed as they finally came upon their strange destination. Horologium disappeared, landing Lucy on her bottom, unexpectedly. "Argh…! Can't he give me more of a warning?! At least he made it here… It's a lot warmer." She sighed happily, enjoying the change in temperature.

"Where do you think this wizard is?" Gray wondered aloud. He turned his head from side to side, examining the area.

Lucy and Juvia did the same. Suddenly, Lucy noticed a shimmer in the center of the circle. She approached it slowly, wondering what could be glittering so beautifully in the midst of the grass. She gasped as she recognized the familiar shape of the glittering object. It was a celestial key. This key was unlike any she had seen before. Instead of the silver of the lesser spirits, or the gold of the zodiac spirits, this key seemed to be made of glass. The symbol adorning the front was a black bolt of lightning. Grabbing the key, she ran back toward Juvia and Gray, who were lost in their own search efforts.

"Gray! Juvia! Look at this!" She held up the key. The sunlight shining down on the clearing played off of the cut of the glass, creating the same shimmer that had attracted Lucy.

"Is that a celestial key?" Gray asked. "What's it doing here, though?"

"I don't know…." Lucy stared at the beautiful key, intrigued.

A burst of wind suddenly rushed forth from the key, knocking it out of Lucy's hand. It fell a few feet away. The wind grew in intensity, nearly knocking the trio off of their feet.

"What's happening?!" Juvia called out.

"Is it the key?!" Yelled Lucy.

The vicious winds converged around the key, wrapping up into the sky to form a vortex. Lucy's heart pounded as the tornado moved toward them. The intensity became unbearable. Juvia was knocked back several feet, hitting her head against a tree and falling unconscious.

"Juvia!" Lucy was still barely holding her footing. Just as she felt her body losing its resolve, Gray stepped behind her and wrapped her in his arms, steadying her. His warmth in the cold wind surprised her skin. Suddenly, the tornado disappeared, leaving a man in its place. The man was large and muscular, with long, white hair, and a long, white beard. His body was transparent in a way, almost as though he was made of mist. Gray and Lucy eyed him with apprehension.

"I am Jupiter, God of storm. You have disturbed my key." His voice was low and foreboding.

Lucy scrambled behind Gray. "Sorry, your storminess. We were just looking for a wizard who has been messing with the weather around here."

The spirit chuckled. "There is no wizard. I have been altering the weather of this place."

"But… why?" Gray asked.

"A short time ago, several of the Gods were locked away in the celestial world, prisoners to keys that were scattered across the world. I once controlled the weather for all of Earth land. I am not meant to be imprisoned and controlled. However, my power has been restrained significantly since being trapped in this key. I can only break myself out once every few days for a short amount of time. I use my abilities when this happens… The world must know I still exist." Jupiter solemnly looked away. He wasn't sure why he was telling these strangers about his key. Something about the two, especially the girl, comforted him.

"Come to think of it… We really haven't seen any changes in the weather over the last month, have we, Gray?"

Gray thought for a moment and realized Lucy was right. The weather had been that of a gentle, spring day for over a month now. No one expect for this small area had experienced any significant changes in the weather. Minor temperature fluctuations, but there were no storms; rain, snow, wind, had all been lost.

"Sir Jupiter… Do you know what other Gods were locked away in celestial keys?" Lucy asked.

Jupiter silently shook his head. "It has happened slowly. Gods were taken one at a time from our world in the heavens. Slowly, they disappeared, while those of us left could not understand what was happening. It wasn't until it happened to me as well that I realized those who had gone before me must have been trapped in keys as well. There are many Gods, all controlling different aspects of your world. If they are all captured, your world will lose everything. Love, war, luck, reproduction. Your world will be left with nothing."

Lucy scowled at Gray. "Why can't we _ever_ get an easy job?"


	2. Lucy's New Key

"Job, you say?" The celestial spirit, Jupiter, questioned.

Lucy looked up. "Yes. We're wizards from the guild, Fairy Tail. We took a job for a town nearby where we're supposed to defeat the wizard responsible for this strange weather. Although, clearly their information wasn't complete… Seeing as you're not a wizard at all."

"So, what can we do to get you to stop all of this crazy storm stuff, old man?" Gray asked.

A bolt of lightning suddenly struck the ground directly in front of Gray. Jupiter's expression had changed from calm interest to outrage.

"EEEEEEEK!" Lucy threw her hands into the air and began running around in a circle, unsure where the next crash of lightning might strike.

"Might I remind you, disrespectful boy, that I am a _GOD_. As the god of storms, I am one of the most powerful gods in existence in my world."

"Yeah, yeah." Gray swiped his hand through the air, dismissing the god's words. "You might be powerful, but it seems like you can't stray too far from your key, am I right?"

Jupiter's growing rage answered the question. Another bolt struck, singing the top of Gray's hair.

"Look, all we want is for you to stop wreaking havoc for the nearby town, and we'll go." Gray said flatly.

Jupiter chuckled. "To attempt to order around a god is foolish. My power is so great, it is difficult for it to be contained in the tiny key. It leaks out, causing this chaotic weather around me. I will not attempt to control it. It may be the only way that I can find the other imprisoned gods from my world."

Lucy abruptly stopped running. "Wait, so you're trying to help them find you? But… If they're also trapped in the celestial world, and probably trapped within celestial keys, how would they be able to search for you in the first place…?"

Jupiter scowled at the question. "It appears we would need the help of… _humans_... to find each other. I believe that we can only break this curse if we all come together again."

Gray nodded. "So, basically, we can't complete our mission and get paid unless we help you find the other gods? I guess you had better take his key then, Lucy." Gray nodded toward the glass key lying a few feet from them.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" Lucy yelled. "You want to go on some wild goose chase to find a bunch of gods when we have NO idea where to start looking?! Do you even remember how small the payout for this job is going to be?! This is way more than we signed up for…" Lucy crossed her arms, exasperated.

"Come on, Lucy. You heard him. If this curse thing can't be broken, then gods will keep getting locked away. Without them, our world will lose everything." Lucy could tell that Gray was more excited about an adventure then he was concerned about saving the god of storm.

"Wait." Jupiter raised a hang toward the duo. "Only a celestial wizard will truly be able to help us."

Lucy giggled. Sticking her hand in a brown pouch that hung tightly against her hip, she removed a large key ring, which had several silver and gold keys hanging from it. A wide smile spread across Lucy's face. "I suppose I forgot to mention that I _am_ a celestial wizard?" She smirked haughtily.

"Y.. You?" Jupiter looked up and down, clearly unimpressed by her.

"Seems like fate to me, big guy. What do you say we get a move on?" Gray turned, beginning to walk away from the celestial spirit. For a moment, it appeared that Jupiter's annoyance with the two would cause him to burst. However, as he realized that they were his best, or only, hope, he exhaled deeply and shrugged.

"Lucy, was it? I will contract with you, but only with the expectation that you will devote yourself to breaking this curse. At which time, I will no longer exist in the celestial realm and will no longer be your celestial spirit." He gestured toward his key, glistening amongst the grass.

Bending down cautiously (she was still slightly concerned that he may zap her with a lightning bolt), she closed her hand around the shimmering glass key. As she did, a golden glow enveloped her body. It stretched from her hand to her head and feet, warming her entire body. It was power. This power was different than anything she had experienced before. It was strong, focused, comforting, and yet, also felt lonely.

"This is part of my power." Jupiter announced. "As long as you work to help break the curse that has sealed us away, I will allow the power that leaks from my key, to become a part of you. You, and your other celestial spirits, will be stronger than ever before."

The glow disappeared, leaving Lucy feeling normal, but somehow more confident. "Alright, well, what other gods do you know of who we need to find?" Lucy asked.

"Before I was affected by the curse, I know of four who disappeared. Pontus, god of fish and sea creatures. Flora, goddess of agriculture. Bacchus, god of wine. Juturna, goddess of fountains."

At the mention of Bacchus, Lucy immediately thought of how Cana might fare if there was no alcohol left in the world. Shivering at such a frightful thought, Lucy faced Jupiter with conviction in her eyes. "We will find them."

Jupiter smiled slightly. "The sooner, the better. It is only a matter of time before more gods are imprisoned, and it is difficult to tell if more have been taken even since my capture." Signaling the completion of the conversation, Jupiter nodded gently to Lucy. His body, transparent as a gentle mist, began to absorb into the glass key, until no sign he had ever been there was left.

Lucy clutched the key tightly in her hand and ran to catch up to Gray. "So, we're doing this?" She asked, huffing as she reached him.

"Might as well. What else were we going to do without Natsu, Wendy, and Erza around anyway?" Gray stretched his arms behind his head, walking casually forward.

Lucy's eyebrow twitched. "You're making this sound a lot lighter than it really is, Gray!"

He stopped and turned to look at her, a slight confusion on his face. "When has being negative about something ever solved the problem?" He resumed his walk forward, letting Lucy ponder his words. She brushed a few golden strands of hair from her face and looked down at the beautiful key that laid in her hand. She smiled gently as the truth of Gray's words came to her. Every now and then, he surprised her. She found his words oddly comforting.

But, suddenly, she remembered something important. "GRAY! We almost forgot Juvia!"


	3. Ice Rainbows

A/N: Hey guys Thanks for the reviews and follows! My goal is to post a short chapter once every other day! I don't own Fairy Tail by the way

Gray and Lucy were now standing next to the unconscious Juvia. Her collision with the tree had been hard, and it didn't appear that she was going to awaken any time soon. Lucy shuffled in her key pouch, while Gray watched, confused. Calling forth Horologium, Lucy smiled victoriously to herself.

"The guild isn't _that_ far from here. Horologium can take Juvia back so she can rest comfortably until she's well again. Just be quick!" She directed the last part to her clock spirit. Lucy knew that if she had to call on another spirit while Horologium was out, it would likely sap her of too much magic power. They would need to avoid trouble until Juvia was returned to safety at Fairy Tail.

Gray stared at Lucy silently. " _What?_ " Lucy was irritated by his gaze.

"That was actually pretty smart, Luce. I'm impressed."

"HEY! You say that like it's so out of the ordinary for me to come up with a decent idea!" She flailed her arms at Gray in anger.

He laughed. "Well, you don't need to be that smart when you're so beautiful."

A light blush warmed Lucy's cheeks. In the blink of an eye, she noticed that Gray's clothes had come off again, leaving him in nothing but boxers.

"Damnit, Gray!" She chided.

He hastily threw a shirt back on and began looking around the countryside. "You said that town we were doing this job for was close by?" He asked.

"Yes, I think it's just a few miles south from here. It's the only town for miles. That's why no one else reported the weird weather patterns. They were the only ones close enough to be affected by it."

"Then I say we head over there. I want to know exactly when they noticed the weather, and see if we can get any information about where the other gods might be."

"Why would any of the townspeople know anything about the other gods? I doubt that the gods are all _that_ close together or they probably would have found each other by now."

"Well, like the old god…"

"Jupiter." Lucy reprimanded.

"Jupiter. Like Jupiter said, the power of the gods is so great that their power actually seeps out of the key. If that's true for all of the gods, then even if the town hasn't experienced the effects directly, maybe they've heard rumors about the effects from other towns."

"It seems like a long shot to me, but okay. We don't have any better leads anyway…"

Lucy and Gray began their decent down the hills leading to the small town. It was a location that mainly specialized in agriculture, growing some of the most popular fruits and vegetables in Magnolia. Lucy's foot slipped on the pebbles that littered the hilly area, causing her to begin tumbling down, head over heels.

"Luce!" Gray yelled. He looked up, noticing that she was heading straight for a jagged clearing of large boulders. His chest tightened at the image in his mind of her crashing against them. "Ice make!" He created a sheet of ice down the hill, which he hopped on. Skating down, slightly quicker than Lucy's roll, he was able to catch her in his arms only a moment before she reached the deadly rocks. Lucy's eyes were still clamped shut. She had mentally braced herself for the worst and her face was contorted in terror. She felt Gray's warm arms wrap around her, causing her breath to catch in her throat.

"You can open your eyes now, Luce." Gray smiled as Lucy slowly opened her eyes. The way the sun light hit the ice Gray had created, caused small rainbows to dance across the landscape. One rainbow touched Gray's face, causing Lucy to notice his features in a way she never had before. His dark, messy hair and eyes matched perfectly. His facial features were strong and handsome, but somehow, still warm and inviting.

"Anyone in there? Are you in shock?" Gray poked her forehead playfully. She hadn't realized how she zoned out, staring at him.

Shaking her head vigorously to refocus, she smiled and nodded. "I'm fine. Let's go." Gray released Lucy from his embrace, leaving her feeling lonelier than she had expected.

The remainder of their travels to the town were uneventful. As they walked through the large gate that signaled the town's borders, a plump, short man jumped out from behind a nearby tree.

"WHY HELLO!" He yelled, startling Lucy. She fell over backward.

"What's the big idea?!" Frustrated by the surprise, Gray made to grab the man's shirt collar, but the pudgy gentleman was fast enough to stay out of his grasp.

"Sorry, sorry. I am the mayor. You must be the wizards who came to help us. I have been waiting here for you for _hours._ I wanted to be the first one to hear of your success! Er… And announce it to the people myself, of course. You… Did succeed, right?" From the mayor's strange behavior, it was clear that the problem had caused quite an uproar from the citizens.

Lucy stood up, wiping the dirt from her legs. "Sort of. I think the weather will calm down for you all soon, once we're far enough away." Lucy thought of the storm god's key that still resided in her pouch.

The mayor nodded. "Excellent, excellent. I hope you understand, however, that I can't pay you until we are sure the job is complete." He gestured to the sky, which was still snowing gently, even though it was summer. "The strange weather has not ceased _yet_."

Gray shrugged. "Yeah, that's standard. The job isn't really what we came here for anyway."

The mayor raised his eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Have you heard anything from any of the closest towns like what you experienced?" Gray questioned.

The mayor took a second to think, resting his chin on his hand. "You mean, like the chaotic weather we've been having? No, that's just been us."

"Not necessarily the weather. Just any other strange, troublesome events?"

The mayor shook his head. "No, nothing troublesome. The only slightly strange thing I've heard of is the abundance of crops at a nearby town."

Lucy perked up, forgetting her annoyance at the tiny man's entrance earlier. "What kind of _abundance_?"

The mayor pointed South. "The town is about four hours that way. It's called Minima. I spoke to the mayor of Minima a few weeks ago. His people have been experiencing an amazing explosion from whatever they plant. Normally, they would plant a seed and get a few fruits from it, but lately… Lately, what used to yield those few fruits, is now yielding fifty to one hundred! The plants take less time to grow, and produce bigger and healthier fruit! He's loving it, of course." The mayor grumbled something under his breath.

"Thanks." Gray and Lucy turned to head South.

"Wait! Are you going there right _now?!_ Do you know why that's happening?!" The mayor yelled after them.

Gray simply raised the back of his hand in the air to the mayor, not stopping to answer his questions.

"Well, I think we found Flora…" Lucy mumbled.


	4. Just One

Lucy sighed deeply. She was slumped over as her pace slowed with each step. The sun was slipping down the horizon, signaling how late it was.

"Gray…" Lucy mumbled. "Can't we stop and find a place to sleep for the night?"

"Uhhh… Where do you suggest we stop?" He looked around sarcastically. The landscape was completely open. There were no homes, caves, or even trees, to sleep beneath. Their options were a random space in the open field, or nothing. "We're only an hour and a half from Minima. We should really just keep going."

Gray continued to walk while Lucy pouted a few steps behind him. 'If only Horologium were available. I could just hop into him and take a nap.' She envisioned trying to sleep in the cramped space that was Horologium's innards. 'Maybe that wouldn't be so easy after all…'

Gray glanced behind his back, watching Lucy for a few moments. He could see the exhaustion in her face. He knew they couldn't sleep here, however. It was never a good idea to rest out in the open. This fact was only exacerbated by the captured god in the nearby town. It was possible that whoever, or whatever, was behind their imprisonment was nearby.

Glancing back at Lucy again, Gray realized he had forgotten something important. Lucy's magical power was slowly being sapped away by Horologium's long separation from her. The further they got from him, the more power would drain from her. Even with the additional power from Jupiter, her exhaustion couldn't be avoided. He knew she needed to rest.

Gray stopped, causing Lucy, who was barely keeping her eyes open, to bump into his back. "What's wrong?" She asked, looking up at him.

"You need to rest, Luce."

Lucy scowled. "I know _that_. Why do you think I asked to sleep back there?! I'm EXHAUSTED!" Lucy sighed, looking at the ground.

"I don't think it's a good idea for us to stop in the open like this, considering we are so close to Minima. But… I can carry you, if you want."

Lucy's head shot up. "We're still an hour away from town…"

"I can't promise I'll be able to make it the whole way, but I think even a little rest would do you some good." Getting down on his knees, Gray nodded towards his back. "Get up."

Lucy knew that Gray was tired. Not as tired as her, of course, but she could still see the sleep in his eyes, begging his body to stop. Feeling her magic energy continuing to drain from her body, she knew there was no choice but to take him up on his offer. His suggestion was undeniably caring, making something deep inside of her feel warm. However, she couldn't help the nagging guilt that also loomed in her mind, for allowing him to carry her when he was also in need of rest.

Gray nodded towards his back again. "Come on. The quicker we can get into town, the sooner we can rent a room and get some real sleep."

Lucy finally nodded and climbed into his back, slipping her arms around his neck. She put her mouth close to his ear and whispered, "Thanks, Gray". She turned her head to the side, laying it gently on his shoulder, and closing her eyes. It wasn't long before her breathing steadied, and Gray knew she had fallen asleep. He smiled to himself. The breeze occasionally caused her hair to tickle the side of his face and fill his nose with her scent. It reminded him of strawberries.

Gray continued to trudge along. His muscles were beginning to scream with an aching, pulling pain. As he was about to wake Lucy to tell her he couldn't carry her anymore, lights from a faraway town pierced through the darkness. It was still about fifteen minutes away, but knowing it was finally within reach gave Gray renewed energy. His steady walk suddenly turned into a run, causing Lucy to awaken.

She groggily looked up ahead. As she blinked the sleep from her eyes, it took several moments before she noticed just how fast they were going.

"GRAY! What are you doing!?" She yelled, piercing into his ear. He fell over in surprise, rubbing his ringing ear.

"Damnit, Lucy. I didn't know you were awake."

"How could I not have been, when you were running a marathon with me on your back?!"

He pointed ahead. "Look!"

Lucy followed his finger and found the tiny, twinkling lights of Minima. Her eyes welled with tears as she began jumping around in joy. "We made it! We made it! I've never been so happy to see signs of other life!"

Gray laughed. "Come on, we've still got a little way to go."

They reached Minima several minutes later. Not unlike the last town they had entered, it was a small, modest place, protected by large walls of stone, except for the open front gate. As it was late, no one could be seen bustling around the town. Most of the home's lights were off.

"It looks like that huge building down the street is the hotel." Lucy stated, ecstatic.

They rushed to the building and entered, seeing a flustered looking front desk attendant. He sighed as he noticed them walking towards the desk.

"A room?" He uttered unenthusiastically.

"Uh, yeah. Two, please." Gray slid some money across the counter.

"Sorry, can't." The man stated flatly.

"Isn't this the town's hotel?!" Lucy was too tired and found herself easily annoyed at his unbothered demeanor.

"Yup. Only have one room. This place has been crazy ever since the crops started boomin'. Every tourist and farmer wants to come and see how it's possible. Truth is, none of us know why, though. Just keeps happenin'. Too damn busy if you ask me. This place used to be dead all the time and my job was _easy_."

Lucy slammed her fist against the counter. Her face contorted with anger. "I am SO tired, and you're sitting here, whining that your job is too _BUSY_?! I need a room. NOW."

The man sighed again. "I told you, I have one left. It's all yours." He handed her the key and slid half of the coins back to Gray.

"FINE." Lucy grabbed the key angrily and stomped off in the direction of the room number that adorned the key's surface. She mumbled under her breath about how useless the desk attendant was. Finding the door, she unlocked it and entered the room. It was tiny, but in decent condition. There was only a small bathroom, queen sized bed, and large oak desk.

"So…" Gray stood behind Lucy at the entrance of the room. In her irritation with the attendant, she had completely forgotten that Gray was still with her, and there was only one room for the two of them to share…


	5. Three in the Morning

Lucy was sprawled out on the queen-sized bed, lying awake. Her hands were crossed behind her head, as she stared at the ceiling. Small spider cracks dotted its surface. She heard a soft snore coming from the floor to her left. Gray had insisted that Lucy take the bed, and she didn't argue. However, part of her had wished to have him next to her. It was strange. Gray was obviously attractive, which she had always known, but she had never before felt a desire to be near him. This new, confusing feeling was responsible for keeping her awake.

She could feel her magic power slowly returning back to its fullest, meaning that Horologium had safely made it back to the celestial world. Lucy only hoped that he had been able to bring Juvia all the way back to Fairy Tail before he had to return.

A gentle glow entered the room from the window to her right. The moon shone brightly this evening. Lost in her thoughts, Lucy almost didn't notice the loud crunching sound that came from the direction of the window. Careful not to wake Gray, Lucy tiptoed to the window and peered out. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the bright moonlight, but when they did, she noticed two figures walking towards the inn. They made their way towards the other side of town.

Lucy looked at the clock which read "3:00am". For such a quiet, sleepy town, it seemed strange to see two people out this late. Even more concerning to Lucy was their attire. She couldn't make out their faces because large, black cloaks were draped over their entire bodies. They trudged closer to the inn, making to pass it. Lucy ducked slightly so that only the top of her head and eyes peeked over the window sill. Hearing quiet mumbles of the two speaking to each other, she held her breath in the hopes of hearing their conversation clearly.

"Sir, I really don't think we should be doing this…" A girl's voice whispered shakily.

"Quiet, Juturna. You should be thanking me for seeking the others. Isn't this what you wanted?"

"Y-yes but…"

"But, what? You don't like the way I've been utilizing your key, is that it? It could be worse, you know. It's not like I _harm_ you. As my spirit, you should be supporting me no matter what. It's just a shame you're such a weak spirit. It's hard to imagine you're a _god_ of anything."

The girl nodded. "I'm sorry. I will try harder."

The man grunted. Lucy could no longer hear their conversation as they walked further away. Her eyes were wide from the shock of her findings. 'God? Juturna? That was one of the names of the trapped gods that Jupiter mentioned… So that means… That man must be after…' Lucy lost track of her thoughts as anxiety took over.

"GRAY!" She screeched.

Gray's eyes shot open, and he scrambled up, shoving his blanket off of himself. He looked around frantically, searching for the source of danger, but he found nothing. "Lucy, are you okay?!"

Lucy tried to catch her breath. "Gray… Can you put _something_ on?!" Somehow, during the night, Gray had ended up with nothing, not even his underwear, left covering his body.

"Argh!" He quickly put on his clothes. "Now will you tell me what had you screeching like a banshee?"

Lucy hurriedly explained what she had overheard. Gray scratched the back of his head and yawned. "I guess that means we have to get going then. Damn, I really could have used a few extra hours…"

Lucy scowled. She opened her mouth, about to say "at least you got _some_ sleep", but stopped. She didn't want to open up a conversation about _why_ she had been awake almost the entire night. She threw on some of her less colorful clothes, hoping it would help to prevent them from being too easy to see in the darkness. They exited the inn, heading in the direction Lucy had seen the mysterious figures go.

"I'm not used to seeing you in such dark colors." Gray said. She wore tight, black pants with a belt made of silver stars, and a deep green tube top.

She laughed. "I'm shocked you even notice my clothes that much. Most men can't even remember what color my eyes are."

"Brown". He uttered, not missing a beat.

Lucy looked at the ground and smiled. There was that feeling again. Gray put his arm out to stop her. At first, she didn't understand why, but then she could hear muffled whispers coming from up ahead. Gray pulled her behind a nearby building. They peered around the corner, watching two black figures in the town's gardens.

"You can't even detect one of your own? You're so useless, Juturna. It's your fault we have to waste our time ruffling through all of these plants. God, I hate the smell of flowers. Where is that damn key?"

"I-I'm sorry, sir…" Lucy could see that the girl was trembling, but she didn't stop gently pushing the plants and flowers aside, searching through the soil.

"Gray…" Lucy whispered. "He's so cruel to her… We have to stop this."

"We will, Lucy. Let's just wait a few more minutes to see if they find the key."

The minutes ticked by, while the man continued to hurl insults at Juturna, who incessantly apologized. Finally, Juturna stopped digging through the soil. Her hands closed around a small object, which she pulled carefully from the earth. "Sir I…"

The man turned around. Lucy could see his eyes grow wide with gruesome excitement. He roughly grabbed the key from Juturna's hand, knocking her over in the process.

"YES! Another god that is mine!" This was the loudest Lucy had heard his voice. It was deep and eccentric. Gray softly touched her elbow and nodded.

"Now." He whispered.

The man chuckled to himself, staring at the glass key with lust in his eyes. "Now we only have a few left to find… Let us continue our journey, Juturna."

"Not so fast, you jerk!" Lucy yelled out. She stood with her arms crossed, and Gray by her side. "Where the hell do you think you're going with that key?"

The man scowled. "What business is it of yours? This key belongs to me now."

"That key _belongs_ to no one except the spirit who dwells within it." Lucy shouted.

"Move along, child. You know nothing of how these keys work."

"Oh, yeah?" Gray smirked. "We know that a god's spirit can be summoned with that key, and we know that she…" Gray pointed at the cloaked girl. "Is a god spirit herself. The only thing we aren't sure of, is why you're such a jackass."

The man looked surprised. "Well, how interesting. It appears you _do_ know about the celestial god keys. I can only assume, then, that you came to this town for the same reason I did. To find this." He held up the key Juturna had just dug up from the soil. "However, since I was here first, it seems you're out of luck. I don't suggest fighting me for it, either, considering I now have _two_ god spirits."

Lucy pulled the lightening glass key out of her pocket and announced "OPEN! Gate of the Thunder King! Jupiter!"

The frightening figure of Jupiter appeared angrily before them. Fear and desire mixed in the eyes of the evil man as he shouted "OPEN! Gate of the Fertility Queen! Flora!"


	6. Jupiter's Vow

A/N: Hey all of my awesome readers! ^_^ I can't begin to tell you all how much I appreciate the follows and reviews. This has been a blast to write and I don't anticipate it being complete for a while (meaning, lots more chapters to come!).

Flora, the goddess of agriculture and fertility, appeared before them. Like Juturna, her body was human like, lacking the transparent, misty appearance of Jupiter. At first glance, Lucy thought she was wearing a beautiful dress made of flowers. However, as she continued to stare at the beautiful goddess, she realized that the flowers were a part of her body. Flowers of yellow, purple, and blue dotted her form, covering her entirely. Her eyes were amethyst and her hair a shade of pink. It fell over her shoulders in two braids.

"I, Jesep, will not let you fools hold the key of the King of the Gods! Juturna, GO!" The man shouted angrily.

The black cloak fell from Juturna, exposing her true form. She wore what appeared to be a tight, silver spandex suit. It rose to the top of her neck, covering every inch of her body, except her face. Her eyes and hair were a matching shade of silver. Her midnight blue heels stood out, a stark contrast to silver that adorned her every inch.

A wild look set into the man's eyes. "GET HIM! I NEED HIM TO BE MINE!"

It pained Lucy to send Jupiter after the two goddesses, but she was unsure that her celestial spirits could stand up against their power. In a sense, Jupiter was her trump card.

"Jupiter! Do what you must to make sure those keys aren't in the wrong hands. Remember, he's our real enemy." Lucy pointed to the deranged wizard.

Jupiter nodded. He had no desire to fight Juturna and Flora. He knew that they felt the same way about fighting him. The regret was evident in their eyes. However, they had no choice but to obey their key-holder. Jupiter understood that the only way to save them, was to defeat them. Suddenly, black clouds began to congregate in the sky above them. A low rumble could be heard emanating from the clouds.

"Juturna, I'm sorry." Jupiter whispered as he slammed his hand against the ground, commanding bolts of lightning to strike her.

"No! Weak, foolish girl!" Jesep screamed.

To everyone's surprise, however, Juturna stood motionless, but unaffected by the bolts.

"What the….?" Gray wondered aloud.

"But, why…?" Jupiter mumbled.

"What are you idiots waiting for?! Attack him while you have the chance!" Jesep flailed angrily, pointing towards Jupiter.

Flora stared at Jupiter for a moment, sadness welling in her eyes. She reached her hand to the sky and cried "Thorn whip!"

A thorned, green vine appeared in her outstretched hand. An intense red glow surrounded it. Before Jupiter could regain his composure from the shock of his ineffective attack, Flora lashed her whip at him. Noticing just a second too late, Jupiter became caught in the coils of her vine. It wrapped around his body tightly. Lucy could see the thorns piercing his body of mist. Part of her was surprised that his body was actually so solid. She had assumed it took on a water form, like Juvia's.

Jupiter struggled against the vine, and commanded another bolt of lightning. This time, he directed it at Flora. Just as it had been with Juturna, however, the strike dealt her no harm.

"Wh… What is this?" Jupiter struggled to speak as the thorns pierced him deeper, causing mist to pour out from his body.

Jesep laughed maniacally. "The God of Gods, Jupiter, is weaker than these two?! How disappointing… Flora, finish him off so I can take his key for my own!"

Flora winced at the command. Slowly, she stretched her hand toward Jupiter and opened her mouth to give the final necessary command to her weapon.

"FLORA! YOU CAN FIGHT THIS!" Lucy screamed desperately. Tears welled in her eyes. The pain of both goddesses was evident in their eyes. Lucy could hardly bare to watch them endure it any longer.

"Shut up!" Jesep glared at Lucy. "As a celestial wizard, you know full well that spirits cannot disobey their masters."

Lucy shook her head causing a few tears to drop to the ground. "Flora! You have the power of a _god_ , whether you are trapped in the celestial world or not! You don't have to do this!"

Flora turned to Lucy. Her eyes softened with admiration for her. "Lucy, was it? This curse that has bound us to the keys, has also bound us to complying with our master's wishes. I cannot physically stop my body from obeying because of this. Though it may not appear so, I have been fighting with all of my power against Jesep's commands. There is no question. I am bound to obey him."

Lucy shook her head harder, falling to her knees. "NO! I don't believe it! I don't believe that anything can force two spirits who care about each other to harm one another!"

Gray touched Lucy's shoulder as she shook with sadness.

Flora turned back to Jupiter, a deep hurt appeared in her eyes as she listened to Lucy sob. "Jupiter… While I cannot avoid complying with my master's wishes, I can tell you this… Many decades ago, you vowed, as the God of Gods, to protect us with every ounce of your might. You promised this to each of the gods, especially the lesser gods, like myself, who needed it the most. You used your power to make it so this promise would bind your entire body and soul. This vow can never be broken. Your power, and our bodies know this. Your magic will not be able to harm another god, no matter your master's request."

Jupiter's eyes widened. As Flora explained this memory that he had long since forgotten, he felt her whip loosen slightly. He could breathe easier.

"You're right..." He said with shock. "I had no idea that such a vow would render my magic useless against all of you… Then how…?" He turned his head slightly to look at Lucy. "How can I help her save you both, if I can't use my power?"

Flora smiled and whispered, "Give up."

'Give up...' The words echoed through Jupiter's mind. He understood her suggestion. He must give up and return to the celestial world, allowing Lucy to call upon another spirit who would be effective against the goddesses. Jupiter, the strongest of the gods, the ruler of the gods, would need to forfeit in order to save them.

"Lucy… You must call one of your other spirits."

Her face dropped. "Who could possibly have any chance at beating them except you?! My zodiac spirits can't fight gods!"

Gray eyed her sympathetically. "Luce… Jupiter doesn't have any chance of beating them. He's helpless right now. Imagine how hard it is for him to ask this of you."

Jupiter smiled gently. "Have faith in your spirits, Lucy. Remember, I have given you some of my magic energy. Please, return me to the celestial world."

Closing her eyes tightly, Lucy allowed Jupiter to return. His misted body softly broke apart, returning him to the celestial world.


	7. The Greatest Weakness

Lucy was slumped on the ground as Jesep laughed victoriously. "The god of gods is _useless_! This is fantastic!"

Gray scowled but returned his gaze to Lucy. "Luce…" He kneeled next to her, touching her shoulder gently.

"If only Natzu and Erza were here…" She whispered.

A new feeling crept into the pit of Gray's chest. 'Natzu…' The name echoed in his brain, making his entire body feel as though it was on fire. He focused his attention back to her trembling frame. He became angry. Angry with her, and himself.

He stood up, fists clenched. "Damnit, Lucy. Erza? _NATZU!?_ You don't need them! _We_ don't need them! They may be our friends, but we can't rely on them constantly. You have more power than you give yourself credit for! You're better than this. Have faith in yourself, and your spirits." He lunged forward to attack Juturna. Lucy almost missed his last words to her, as they were almost inaudible. "You need to have faith in _me_ ," He whispered.

Her head shot up as his words awakened her from her doubts. She watched him relentlessly using his ice make magic on the many water-based attacks Juturna threw his way. His magic was a perfect match against the fountain goddess. Occasionally, an attack would reach him, as she was extremely quick. However, his current resilience was like nothing Lucy had witnessed from him before.

"Well, Miss Lucy? Shall we?" Flora smiled gently. It was clear to Lucy that she was not a goddess prone to war or hatred. Something in her eyes seemed to scream out to Lucy, "save me".

Lucy's resolve returned full force. "I won't disappoint you, Jupiter." She whispered to herself. She felt a small burst of power from his key sink deep within her. It was his gift, and a response to her words.

"Open! Gate of the lion! Loke!" The sleek, tawny haired zodiac leader appeared before Lucy. He let his glasses slip slightly down his nose before smiling at her.

"I'm glad you summoned me, Lucy. There's been an uproar in the celestial world about the god's entrapment. It's causing some major problems for the king."

Lucy nodded. "Alright, Loke! Give it everything you have! Flora has a powerful whip that you have to be careful of. Don't get trapped in it! Jupiter has leant us some power, so don't hold back!"

Loke cracked his knuckles. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Jesep screamed. "You can't defeat gods with lowly humans and celestial spirits! What idiocy!"

"We'll see about that!" Lucy countered.

Flora was the first to attack. Flower petals began detaching from her body and rose in the air around her. With incredible speed, they flew towards Loke, causing small cuts all over his body. The petals were sharp on all sides, like tiny razor blades. Loke grabbed at his right arm, which had sustained the most damage from the attack.

"Loke!" Lucy called.

"It's okay, Lucy. It will take a lot more than that." He touted confidently. Loke began engaging in melee combat with Flora. She danced around many of his attacks with ease. Her speed was incredible, and her movement so fluid, almost as though she was simply a flower flowing in the wind.

Juturna summoned a large ball of water between her hands. Gray could see the intense power it held. The water swirled maniacally within the ball, seeming like a living creature of its own, calling out for blood. Gray noticed bubbles form on its surface.

"Boiling Fountain!" Juturna called out.

Gray stretched out his hand, attempting to use his ice make magic to freeze the ball in its place, as he had already done with many of her prior attacks. Unexpectedly, the ball continued to travel full force at Gray. His ice magic had hit it, but had produced nothing but steam. He realized why a moment too late. The ball hit him, causing him to fly back several feet, knocking against a nearby fence. The area of his chest where he had taken the direct hit began to turn red. The blast of water had burned him.

"Boiling…" He muttered.

"Yes, I'm afraid your ice magic can't freeze my water attacks when they are so hot. I am able to manipulate the temperature of my water higher than the temperature of any Earth water, without it turning to steam. I'm sorry, but there's no way your ice magic can disarm my attacks this way." Juturna truly looked apologetic as she explained what Gray had already realized.

'How can I defeat water attacks that reach inhuman temperatures…' He wondered. "Well, Juturna, I guess that just means I can't let them hit me." Gray touched his stomach, allowing a thin layer of ice to cover the burned area. His slammed his fist into his hand. "Keep it coming."

Flora continued to dodge Loke's attacks fearlessly. His growing frustration was evident on his face. Catching him off guard, Flora conjured her vine whip in her right hand. She swung it, landing a blow on his left side. He faltered in pain. This was the beginning of an onslaught of attacks from Flora. She had clearly lost her patience waiting for him to land an attack on her. Her whip shot through the air, quicker than Lucy's eyes could follow. It slammed against Loke's body, blow after blow. Several minutes later, he was barely able to stand.

"The lion…" Flora looked softly at Loke's bruised body. "Understand that this was not my wish. It is the end for you. I do not believe any of the zodiac spirits can compare to our might. I _am_ sorry." Petals plucked from her body again, rising into the air.

Lucy began to tremble. She felt ill. Loke, her strongest zodiac spirit was about to fall. She turned to glance at Gray's battle with Juturna. He had acquired burns all over his body, but was still faring better than Loke, who was struggling to stand again. Suddenly, Jesep's smiling face caught her attention. Something about the look he gave her, a look of sure victory, reminded her of what Flora had said, "understand that this was not my wish."

"That's it!" Lucy realized. She cupped her hands around her mouth, projecting her voice and emotion as much as possible. She could only hope he understood. "LOKE! Remember what a celestial wizard's greatest weakness is!"

Loke heard Lucy's advice, and sensed something hidden within it. He looked up at Flora, who had a calm, knowing look in her eyes. 'Does she know what Lucy is trying to tell me?' He wondered. The razor petals hung loosely in the air. He knew he could not withstand another onslaught of them. Leaning on his arm, Loke propped himself up slightly. It was then that he noticed Jesep, standing several feet behind Flora. Loke understood what he needed to do.

Flora sent the petals careening for him again. This time, however, Loke had a plan. Loke's green magic seal appeared as he touched the ring on his left hand's index finger. This called forth his twister attack, which whipped up violent winds around them. Sending the attack forth further, he was able to suck the deadly petals into his gale. He held the winds in place for a moment.

"I won't let you tear apart my world by pitting the gods against one another! They must be brought together as one again! They must return home so the Earth and the celestial world can have balance! I won't allow you to harm anyone in either place anymore! Especially not Lucy…"

The obnoxious grin still adorned Jesep's face. He believed the attack was meant for Flora, who could certainly withstand her own petals. Jesep was wrong.

Loke sent the twister forward with enormous momentum. It curved around Flora, quickly landing straight into Jesep. His form was swept up into the winds. Everyone stopped their fighting, focusing their gaze on the whirlwind. For several moments, Jesep's screams were the only sound ringing through the air. Finally, his battered and torn body fell to the ground.

However, a chuckle still emanated from his lips.

Gray furrowed his brows. "You're lying there practically dead, and something is still funny to you?!"

Jesep's body stayed motionless on the ground. The form of a man, looking quite different from Jesep, began to rise from his body. Standing upright, this new man had long, dark brown hair and brown eyes. He wore black pants and boots, with a large brown coat that fell to his calves. Fur lined the edges of the coat, and several silver necklaces fell against his bare chest.

"What _are_ you?" Lucy uttered, disbelief clear in her voice.

"I am Bacchus, the god of wine. The rightful god of gods."


	8. Trampled Gardens

Juturna became enraged. "You took over a human body?! That's horrible! How can you even have the power to do that?"

"I was quite fortunate. This man happened on my key while he was extremely drunk. I can infuse my body with any alcohol. My cells are one with it. I wasn't sure it would work at first, but I was able to fuse with the alcohol in his blood stream to take over his body." Bacchus smirked.

Gray looked disgusted. "Then you went out to find the other god keys so you could be an abusive jerk to them? What's the point?"

Bacchus glared at Gray. "The _point_ is that I should have been chosen millennia ago as the leader of the gods. Jupiter allows lowly gods like Juturna to remain revered and living among the powerful gods, like myself. The gods continue to get weaker as time goes on because of his poor leadership. He's a weak, old, fool."

Juturna and Flora began to defend Jupiter with their words. Lucy was lost in their conversation. Her eyes drifted back to the body of Jesep, lying on the ground. The sun was just beginning to rise, causing something to glisten near his right pocket. 'Juturna and Flora's keys!' Lucy realized. 'The holder has full control over the power of the gods… I need to get them before Bacchus realizes.'

Loke was lying a few feet from Jesep. Lucy made her way calmly over to him, conscious not to draw attention to herself. She leaned down, putting her mouth close to Loke's ear.

"I need to grab the goddesses' keys from Jesep's body without Bacchus realizing what I'm trying to do. He's pretty focused on Flora and Juturna right now, but if anything happens, just buy me a few seconds." She whispered. Loke nodded.

Lucy continued her quiet shuffle to the limp body. Kneeling by his hip, she slid her hand into the pocket, closing her fingers around a single glass key. A black rose adorned the front of it. She searched deeper in the pocket, hoping to find Juturna's key, but it wasn't there. Lucy reached across his body, searching the opposite pocket. She held her breath. This was taking longer than she had hoped. It wasn't in the other pocket either.

'He must have it somewhere…' She thought. She quickly searched his body with her eyes. There were no other pockets to hide the key.

"Lucy!" Loke whispered urgently. She turned to him. He sat up and touched his neck.

She turned back to Jesep's body and realized what Loke meant. A long necklace hung from Jesep's neck and was tucked under his shirt. She pulled at the necklace, revealing _two_ glass keys. One key's insignia was a black geyser. The other appeared to be a glass of wine. This was more than Lucy had hoped for.

"It's all over, Bacchus!" Lucy called.

Bacchus turned to face her. His face contorted with rage as Lucy held the three glass keys out in triumph.

"How dare you! Those keys belong to me!" He screamed

Lucy wagged her finger. "I don't think so. Remember, the entrapped gods have no choice but to obey the _holder_ of their keys." She paused, allowing her words to sink in. "Bacchus! I demand that you return to the celestial world!"

Slowly, Bacchus' body began to dissolve. As it did, Juturna directed her words to him. "Jupiter has never treated us as servants the way that you did, Bacchus. He is more than our King; he is our leader! That's something that you could never understand. All you ever worry about is yourself!" Juturna's anger was palpable. Her body glowed with a new power, one that was born from her intense conviction for revenge. Bacchus was gone.

Lucy kneeled next to Loke again. "How are you?"

He laughed and scratched his head. "I've had better days. They're powerful, Lucy. We need to be extremely careful. But you were amazing today."

She smiled. "Go rest, Loke." Loke's form disappeared, signaling his return to the celestial world.

"Thank you, Lucy. You are a kind, powerful celestial wizard." Flora had seen the interaction between Loke and Lucy. The obvious bond they held touched her.

"Flora, do you think Bacchus is the one who sealed you all in the keys?" Lucy asked.

Flora shook her head. "No. Although he thinks himself extremely powerful, he is still considered one of the lesser gods. He does not have the power to seal Jupiter away. Bacchus simply saw an opportunity to take control."

"But… then who would have the power to seal Jupiter?" Lucy hesitated, afraid of the answer.

"I can only make assumptions. However, I would imagine that it would either have to be one of the twelve Olympian gods, or a being we have never encountered before."

"Jupiter thought bringing all of the god keys together would allow you all to return to your world, but it doesn't seem like that would be the case…" Lucy trailed off. "We need to defeat whoever is entrapping the gods, or else it could just keep happening, right?"

Flora nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so. Jupiter was correct though, in that, we will all be necessary for the battle. It is unlikely that our enemy will be weak. I am glad that our king was able to find such a courageous wizard to help us."

Lucy found Flora reminded her of a mother. It was in the way she calmly expressed confidence in Lucy, and held herself with grace.

"I believe the next god you must find is Pontus. Pontus was the first to be sealed in a celestial key. He may have additional information that can help us determine who is behind this. I have heard rumors in the celestial world that he may be hiding in Cerulea, a prominent fishing town. Juturna and I must return to the celestial world for now. Please, don't hesitate to call on us. Like Jupiter, we will lend you some of our power, making you stronger than ever before."

Lucy lunged at Flora, hugging her tightly. "Thank you, Flora."

Flora's body dissipated in Lucy's arms. The goddesses had returned. Lucy turned to Gray, who avoided her gaze. He seemed to be staring at a point far in the distance.

"Gray! We did it!" Lucy bounced closer to him, pumping her fists in the air. The solemn expression on his face didn't change.

"Yeah, let's get going. Wouldn't want to waste any time. We can probably find a map back in town so we can find the quickest way to Cerulea. I'm not sure where it is off the top of my head." Gray started off toward the center of town.

"Gray? Is something wrong?" He still hadn't looked at Lucy. The burns that had covered his body only an hour ago already looked much better, thanks to his ice magic. Lucy grabbed his arm gently to stop him.

"Nope. Not a thing." His short, annoyed tone betrayed his words, but Lucy could tell he wasn't willing to elaborate. She let go of him.

Rather than push the subject any further, she sighed and walked a few steps behind him. She stole a glance at the garden where their battle had just taken place. The lush area, once filled with enormous, beautiful crops, was now desolate. 'Great, I bet the Council will be all over this one…' She thought.

A/N: What could Gray's problem be? XD


	9. A Tear of Ice

Gray and Lucy had been able to find out the quickest way to Cerulea, where Flora had claimed Pontus, the god of fish should be, from one of the shop owners in Minima. The man had directed them to the nearest train station, which was about a day's journey from Minima. There, they were able to board a train going directly to Cerulea. It was on this train that they currently sat, quietly, across from one another.

Gray sat, slightly hunched, leaning his chin on his left arm. He stared out the window, watching the light of the day fade into the sunset. It would only be another hour or so until they arrived. Since their defeat of Bacchus, Gray had continued barely speaking to Lucy. Mostly, she made no attempt to pry further into the source of his poor mood. Gray imagined it was probably better that way. 'I'm not even entirely sure what has me so irritated…' He thought.

Lucy sat awkwardly still, her hands clasped together in her lap. Over the last day, she focused solely on their next destination. Now, however, sitting silently across from Gray, her mind replayed the battle in the gardens, over and over. She wondered what had happened to make Gray so angry. She couldn't shake the feeling that it was her fault.

A man and woman sat a few rows down, huddled close together. Their fingers were intertwined as they snuggled close, giggling with each other. Lucy couldn't help but stare. Their happiness seemed like such an out-of-place occurrence considering the thick tension that hung between her and Gray. She wasn't sure how much longer she could stand the silence.

"Gray… Can you tell me what I did wrong?" She asked, still not looking away from the affectionate couple.

He turned his head to stare blankly at Lucy. 'What _she_ did wrong?' He wondered. 'Was that it? Was it something Lucy did that has me so bothered?'

"I know that it's different not having Natsu and Erza around, but… I thought we were getting along really well up until the gardens. I just… I'm sorry if I did anything I shouldn't have."

The name rung through his head like a hot blade. 'Natsu…' He remembered her words in the gardens. She had wished for Natsu and Erza to be there, to protect them. Gray hadn't even attempted to fight Flora and Juturna yet, and Lucy had already called out for someone else to save her. His anger creeped to a new level, and his vacant stare turned into a scowl.

"Gray…" She uttered his name softly. Her tone was different then it had ever been with him before.

"How many times have we fought together, Lucy?" He asked.

She turned, meeting his eyes. "I don't know. It's hard to count…"

"We've fought together more times than you can remember, and yet you still have to call for _Natsu_ to come to save you? I was right there, Lucy. I hadn't even tried to fight them yet, and you had already given up on me. After all of the times I've succeeded, you still called for _him_. It's like I said then, you need to have faith in me, and yourself. We're strong enough." He crossed his arms and looked away from her again.

Lucy's mind whirred, trying to decode the true meaning within his words. 'He thinks I don't believe in him…' The pain she caused him made her own chest ache.

"Gray, you're right. I shouldn't have said that. I guess, when I started with Fairy Tail, I just wasn't that powerful. There were so many times that Natsu saved me. Maybe I hadn't realized how used to it I became."

"Would you rather be doing this job with Natsu, since he can save you?" Gray asked, slightly surprised at the pained sound of his own voice. 'What's happening to me?' He wondered.

"NO!" Lucy yelled. Her eyes stung with tears. "Natsu might make me feel safe, but you make me feel strong and confident. If I always rely on Natsu or Erza to save me when things get tough, I'll never become the best wizard I possibly can. You and me… I wouldn't change this." She looked out the window, blushing slightly. "I'm sorry about what I said…"

A single tear trailed down Lucy's cheek. She worried that Gray wouldn't forgive her. As it fell from her chin, Gray reached out his hand, catching it in his palm. He closed his hand, releasing his ice make magic within his fist. As his fingers unfurled, it revealed a beautiful tear drop shaped gem.

"It's okay, Luce. I should have told you sooner what was bothering me, but I wasn't really sure until now."

She smiled at the return of her nickname.

The train began to slow down, signaling its arrival in Cerulea. Lucy and Gray grabbed what few items they had, a backpack and Lucy's brown pouch, and exited the train. Their eyes met with a stunning orange and pink sunset, seen just over the steady waves of the nearby ocean. Lucy's eyes sparkled.

"It's beautiful!" She exclaimed.

Gray shrugged. "It's alright. We have to head that way. Flora said Pontus should be dwelling somewhere in the town's oceans."

Lucy turned to scowl at Gray's disinterest in the landscape before them. Her eyes were met with his bare chest as he stood before her in nothing but his underwear.

"Damnit, Gray!" She shouted, covering her eyes while her cheeks turned crimson. Before he was fully dressed, however, she allowed herself another small glance at his chest. His body was well sculpted. The way his navy Fairy Tale mark seemed to dance as his muscles moved made her feel warm.

'What is with me lately?!' She scolded herself internally.

"Luce? Ready to go?" Gray swung their backpack over his shoulder.

His question shook her out of her internal battle: a fight between permanently etching the vision of his body into her mind or reminding herself that this was Gray, her long-time teammate, that she was getting flustered over.

"Coming!"

They bounded down the hill to reach the immense coastline of the town. It was no wonder the town had been named after the color, Cerulean. Its waters were easily some of the deepest, clearest blue that Lucy had ever seen. A few ships dotted the currents, but they were headed in to the shore to dock. Gray pulled Lucy to a nearby mound of rocks.

"Let's try to wait until all of the fishermen are gone. We don't know if this guy is around, and it might look funny if we're just searching all over the ocean. Not to mention we don't know if he'll be calm and supportive like Flora and Juturna or more… er… intense, like Bacchus…"

Lucy remembered the crazed look in Bacchus' eyes and nodded at Gray's plan.

"Wait… Gray, how _are_ we going to search if we don't have a boat?"

"Who said we don't have a boat?" He asked, smirking.

"I know that bag," Lucy pointed to the sack hanging over Gray's shoulder. "Is a lot deeper than it looks, but I think it's safe to say that you didn't hide a boat in there." She looked annoyed.

"No, no. I didn't say we _own_ a boat. We'll just need to get a little… creative."

"Oh god, we're stealing a boat, aren't we?" Lucy sighed.


	10. Juturna's True King

"We're not _stealing_ a boat, Lucy. We're just going to borrow one…" Gray looked serious. "Unless you have any better ideas?"

Lucy huffed. "Maybe Juturna can help us somehow?" Lucy asked, mostly to herself. "She does have power over water." Gray looked doubtfully at Lucy.

"I don't think fountains qualify as having control of water. That would be like saying someone who rules over snowmen commands ice." He laughed at his own joke.

Lucy scowled and ignored his comments. She reached into the pouch hanging at her hip, fiddling with the crystal keys until she encountered Juturna's.

"OPEN! Gate of the fountain Queen! Juturna!"

Juturna appeared sheepishly before them in her sleek, silver body suit. "Lucy." She nodded.

"Juturna! We've found the area that Flora claimed Pontus was at, but it will be difficult for us to search the whole ocean for him. Do you think you can help in some way?" Lucy asked.

Juturna paused for a moment in thought. "Sure I can. I have the ability to swim at inhuman speeds. I'm sure it will only take me a few minutes to search this entire body of water."

Lucy pulled her right lower eyelid down and stuck her tongue out at Gray. "I _told_ you she had power over water."

"Hardly! She's just a good swimmer…" Gray placed a hand on Lucy's head, ruffling her hair into a mess. "But you were right that she could be of some help."

Juturna gazed vacantly into the distant expanse of the sea. "Pontus and I were once very close, you know… Both being minor gods of the water-realm, it was only natural that we felt very connected. It has been a long time since I have seen him."

Lucy stared at Juturna. Her expression was calm, but her eyes had a twinkle of sadness within them. She wondered if Pontus and Juturna had once been in love. From Juturna's words, she expected that this was the case, but, if so, she wondered why they had parted, not seeing each other for so long.

Without another word, Juturna leapt gracefully into the sea. Her body plunged into the water before popping her head up to address Gray and Lucy. "I will come back to this spot once I have searched the ocean. I expect it will take me about five minutes."

Lucy nodded, staring at Juturna's beauty. For some reason, her body now glowed a soft blue, and her eyes sparkled with a new energy and vigor. It was as though the water had returned youth to Juturna.

"I wonder what happened with Juturna and Pontus…" Lucy muttered. She plopped herself down on the sand, pulling her knees close to her body and resting her chin on them. Gray sat next to her, laying on his back, hands behind his head.

"I don't know. She did seem pretty sad about him, though. Things must not have ended well." He said.

"I feel badly for sending her to find him. Maybe she doesn't want to see him again… I should have asked."

"I'm sure she would have said something if it wasn't a good idea for her to see him again. Besides, there's a good chance she will just find his key if he's locked in the celestial world. Don't be so hard on yourself. I know you care about all of your spirits, but they care about you just as much."

Gray's words eased Lucy's guilt. "I know. We've just seen so many evil celestial wizards. I don't want them to ever feel unvalued or abused by me…" She trailed off, remembering Karen and Sorano.

Gray sat up, laying his hand on Lucy's leg which was left exposed by her short skirt. "Luce… There's no way they could ever feel abused by you. The care you show them is always there. I don't believe you have an evil bone in your beautiful body."

Lucy's cheeks were set ablaze by his words. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment. The heat between them was unlike anything Lucy had experience before. She began to stretch out her hand to grasp his, but she was a moment too late.

Juturna flew out from the water, landing a few feet away from them. Lucy was shaken out of her trance as she realized Juturna had been physically thrown from the ocean by something, or someone.

"Juturna!" She yelled.

"Wait here!" Gray gently pushed Lucy behind him and ran to Juturna's side. "Are you okay? What happened? Did Pontus do this to you?" Gray questioned.

Juturna shook her head and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She held her head in her hand, softly rubbing the spot she had landed on.

"No, I'm afraid it's much worse than Pontus." She uttered, almost inaudibly. Fear was evident in her eyes.

"W-worse…?" Gray stuttered.

Before Juturna could explain further, the ocean in front of Lucy began to converge, raising into a point that seemed to almost touch the sky. The waters had formed a horrible tempest before them. Lucy could barely make out a yellow glow that emanated from within it.

Suddenly, the swirling waters ceased all movement. The entire ocean was still. Not a single wave could be seen across the salty expanse as far as Lucy could tell. The yellow glow seemed to grow brighter as the seconds ticked on.

"What the hell…?" Gray breathed.

Juturna was frozen with fear as she watched the silent violence before her. She finally shook herself out of the fear that had consumed her, however, when she felt a growing, unbearable power coming from the golden flow.

"LUCY! YOU NEED TO RUN!" Juturna screamed.

Lucy turned to face Gray and Juturna. "Run…?" She questioned. While Lucy's focus was drawn away from the tempest before her, the light shot forward, straight for her, in a powerful blast. She turned back to face the oncoming attack, but realized she didn't have time to dodge it. 'Run…' She thought, realizing Juturna had been trying to protect her from this. Closing her eyes, Lucy accepted the impending impact, wondering what it was, or if she would ever awaken from the blast.

To her surprise, however, the impact never came. Lost in her own thoughts, she hadn't realized that a pair of strong, warm hands had clasped around her body and thrown her to the side. Gray's scream jettisoned Lucy back into reality.

Lucy's eyes shot open as his yell reached her ears. She was lying flat against the sand. Gray had obviously thrown her out of the way of the attack, landing her there. The sound of his pain made her body feel cold. She shook her head, sitting up and looking towards Gray. He was silent now, but he held his right shoulder with his left hand. From between his fingers, smoke drifted up into the air.

"GRAY!" Lucy called out in frantic concern. The blast must have hit his shoulder, causing him incredible pain, she realized.

"Stay back, Lucy!" He demanded, huffing as he projected his voice. His injury seemed to leave him drained.

Juturna came to Lucy's side. "Are you okay, Lucy?"

"I'm fine… But Gray… What is happening?!"

The three watched stiffly as the water that had once held the shape of a violent tornado, began to fall back into the ocean. Calm splashes could be heard as layers of water returned their rightful place, peacefully floating amongst the ocean's currents. However, a man was left in its place. He was an older man. He wore a long deep black robe, while his hair was a dark teal color and fell past his elbows. In his right hand was a glowing, golden trident.

Juturna spoke shakily. "It's my true King… Neptune."


	11. The 12 Olympians

"Your true King?!" Lucy exclaimed. "I'm going to need a little more explanation than that…"

Juturna nodded solemnly. "While Jupiter is the King of all gods, the other eleven of the twelve Olympian Gods rule over certain aspects of the world. Neptune, for example, rules over all aquatic gods. Mars rules over all war gods, and so on. Jupiter doesn't typically interact much with us lesser gods. Instead, he ensures that the Olympian gods command us. I report to Neptune."

Lucy gaped. "Did he throw you out of the sea?! If he's your King, what is his problem?! We're trying to help you and Pontus and all of them!"

Juturna looked sadly into Lucy's eyes before speaking gently to her. "Lucy… The gods have little respect for humans… This is especially true for the Olympian Gods, who have frequently used humans for their own wars against one another. They plant evil into the hearts of humans as they see fit. Humans are simply used as pawns for the Olympian Gods. The lesser gods are more accepting of humans, because we reside mostly on Earth. We witness firsthand the many positive aspects of humankind. The Olympians reside in their own realm…"

Lucy held her breath, turning her head back and forth from Neptune, to Gray, back to Juturna. "That still doesn't explain why he treated you so poorly. You aren't a human. He hates Gray and I, fine, but why does that affect you?"

Juturna chuckled. "Lucy, I'm sure he could sense that I was working with humans. He's rather perceptive. For me to be accepting a command from a human, and willingly accompanying one this way, must make him extremely angry."

"Be gone." Neptune's voice boomed. The waves shook around him as he spoke.

"We don't have any business with you! We just came to find a key." Gray growled in response, still holding his searing shoulder.

"I know what key you're seeking. I have Pontus' key, and I won't allow _humans_ to have control over him. Return Juturna's key to me as well, or I will take it by force."

Gray tensed, prepared to yell back at the godly force, but Lucy spoke up first.

"We aren't here to control them! We're here to help them! We have almost collected all of the keys! Pontus is our last and we think if we bring them all together, we might be able to release the curse and find out who is behind this!" Her voice was determined and pleading.

Neptune scoffed. "I am well aware of the curse of the celestial keys. I have sent many of my minor gods out to find the source of the curse. We do not require the help of lowly human scum in order to solve our own ordeal. We are in a different class from you, girl. Do not speak to me like you understand our problems."

"Hey! Who are you calling 'lowly scum'?!" Gray called back, clenching the hand of his injured arm. "Your King, Jupiter, is with Lucy and supporting us! He requested our help! Lucy is an amazing celestial wizard, who deeply cares about helping you _stupid_ gods solve your problems. Don't you dare speak to her like she is worthless!"

Lucy smiled at Gray's words. He truly made her feel strong in a way no one else could.

Neptune scowled angrily at Gray. He looked at him as though he was nothing but a small rodent; an annoyance to be dealt with. "I am not concerned with what that fool is doing."

"Juturna, I thought you said Jupiter rules over Neptune? He doesn't seem very fond of him…" Lucy whispered.

"Well, Jupiter does rule Neptune, technically. Like I said, he's given Neptune rule over the water realm. Jupiter basically leaves the other Olympians alone unless they make him angry. Neptune has long thought that he is the rightful King of the Gods. It's a bit of a sore spot between the two…"

"Well then… I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but I don't know that we have many other options…" Lucy mumbled. She returned Juturna to the celestial world and pulled out another crystal key. "Open! Gate of the Thunder King! Jupiter!"

Jupiter appeared before Lucy, looking angrier than usual. His misty form was not affected by the strong breezes of the sea.

"Ignorant fool!" Jupiter called out to Neptune.

"I hardly think you're in a position to call anyone a fool, _king_." Neptune said Jupiter's title mockingly. "You've been trapped in a celestial key, and now serve a human... It's truly a disgrace to the Olympians."

The two gods stared at one another heatedly for a moment. Lucy took the opportunity to run to Gray. She placed her hands gently against the hand holding his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" She whispered.

He smiled warmly at her. "I've been better, Luce." He winced and removed his hand from the wound. The flesh on his shoulder was seared beyond recognition. Lucy could see that Gray had been steadily releasing ice onto it, as it seemed to be scabbing over.

Gray continued. "That blast was incredibly hot. I've experienced Natsu's fire plenty of times, but somehow, this was way hotter than any flames that I've ever felt."

"Oh, Gray… Thank you for throwing me away from that… I'm sorry I was so dense and slow…" Lucy hung her head dejectedly.

Gray used his good arm to place his hand softly under her chin, lifting her head up so that her eyes met his. "I'll always protect you." He breathed.

Lucy's heart leapt into her throat. His deep navy eyes caused her to forget the dangerous scene before them.

"I wouldn't act so pompously, Neptune. This curse cannot be avoided. If you are chosen as the next god to be trapped, it _will_ come to pass. Celestial spirits, even when they are gods such as us, can only release their full power with the aid of a human celestial wizard. We need their help to return to our world." Jupiter was seething with anger.

Neptune shook with rage as well. "You are the one who has used the humans to take advantage of the other Olympians. You have said yourself that humans should only be valued for how they can aid _us_! I am only following your lead in my treatment of humankind. What has happened to your great wisdom now that you are trapped? It would appear to me that it is gone."

Jupiter shook his head. "I was wrong. Sometimes, true wisdom requires us to change our beliefs. In my short time with Lucy, I have seen what humans can be without our interference. She did not need to help us, but she has chosen to with her entire being. She respects us not as gods, but as fellow beings."

Lucy's eyes welled with tears. The outpouring of praise from Jupiter touched her deeply.

"Your choice has been made, Jupiter. I, however, refuse to accept that these humans are the only way we can break the curse. I won't give up Pontus' key unless you all can defeat me."

"You're foolish as ever, Neptune! The longer we take to break this curse, the more gods will be lost! It's only a matter of time before another Olympian is gone!" Jupiter retorted.

Neptune began to laugh uncontrollably. "So, you haven't heard? Another Olympian has already been taken!"

Jupiter's face fell. He held his breath, waiting for Neptune to continue.

"It was _Juno_." He finished. Jupiter's face turned whiter than usual.

"Who is Juno?" Gray asked.

"My wife." Jupiter whispered.


	12. Expendable

"Why should I believe you?" Jupiter asked suspiciously.

Neptune shrugged. "Do, or don't. It is of no concern to me. The Olympians met just two days ago to discuss this threat. It was not long afterwards that Juno was taken."

Jupiter clenched his fists. He knew that Neptune's words were true. It was only a matter of time before another god would be taken. It only made sense that whoever was behind this would target the Olympian gods first.

Neptune snickered. "Yes, the great king and queen are gone leaving a hole in our world. _Someone_ will need to step in soon if you cannot be brought back…"

"What are you saying?! You are planning to take over the kingdom in my absence? You'll have to kill me first, Neptune."

Gray released another layer of ice onto his wound. He stood up, faltering slightly as he realized how weak the attack had left his body. Lucy held onto his side to steady him.

"I guess Juturna was right… They really do have a terrible relationship." Lucy mumbled.

"Luce… Shouldn't you call Jupiter back? His power was ineffective back in Minima when we fought Flora and Juturna. His pledge to protect them makes him useless against the other gods. It's only a matter of time before Neptune goes after him." Gray reminded her.

"That's right!" Lucy made to return Jupiter to the celestial world.

"STOP!" Jupiter yelled out, stretching the palm of his hand to Lucy, signaling his command. "I can fight him."

"But, Jupiter…"

"Juturna was not aware that Neptune is the exception to my pledge of protection over the gods. Neptune has hated me for some time. He is envious of my position, and violent to get his way, as you have seen. The pledge I made must be accepted by the protected ones. Neptune does not want, nor need, my protection. Thankfully, I am not bound to protect him."

Gray's eyes lit up. "Perfect."

"Perfect?" Lucy breathed, confused. "This is horrible. Again, we have to ask gods to fight one another…"

"Lucy, I know it's difficult for you to watch people who should be helping each other, fight against each other. For a second, just look beyond your feelings of right and wrong, and look in their eyes. They've wanted to fight each other far longer than we can even comprehend." Gray squeezed her should gently and gazed at the two gods. Their eyes were locked on each other.

Gray's deep, kind voice comforted Lucy. Jupiter's eyes were filled with intensity. Lucy imagined the millennia of tension that existed between the two. It was hard for her to believe it had taken this long for them to clash.

"Enough of this!" Jupiter commanded.

Neptune smirked. He suddenly allowed his body to become water. He sloshed into the sea, mingling with the salty abyss.

"Where did he go?!" Gray wondered aloud.

Jupiter stood still, but his pupils could be seen scanning the waters frantically. A golden blast, like the one that had destroyed Gray's soldier, came shooting from the depths of the ocean. Jupiter saw it coming just in time, and quickly evaded it.

"You will need to do far better than that, Neptune."

"Why don't you just zap the whole ocean with your electricity, Jupiter?" Gray asked, confused.

Jupiter huffed. "It's good to hear you have finally stopped calling me 'old man'. My electricity will not affect him as long as he is one with the water. It's likely why he has chosen to do so. I don't mind. Defeating him would be too easy that way."

The ocean began to bubble, clearly. Neptune's rage was causing the waters that encompassed him to boil at inhuman temperatures. Lucy scrambled back as she could feel the heat radiating from the waves when they splashed against the beach. She was confident being touched by the water would melt her skin off.

The blasts began to come from all directions, streaming through the air. Jupiter continued to dodge them with increasing speed. Lucy and Gray, however, ended up flat against the beach, their hands over their heads.

"ATTACK ME, JUPITER! Do not insult me by simply standing there!"

"Then stop playing games, Neptune."

"As you wish, _king._ " Neptune's voice was ominous.

Jupiter rose into the sky, spreading his arms open. An orb of wind and light began to form between his outstretched arms. It quickly became enormous. Jupiter released it into the ocean. It exploded with a deafening boom, causing water to spray everywhere. Lucy and Gray stood, soaked and exasperated, several feet away.

"How do we keep getting dragged into this?" Gray complained.

Neptune groaned as his body rose up out of the water, attaining solid form again.

"That's always been the weakness of your ability to become one with the water, Neptune. A powerful enough attack that hits anywhere within the body of water will harm you. Such a useless maneuver." Jupiter was taunting the angry sea god.

Neptune burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Has he gone insane?"

"I've had enough of you, Jupiter, to last eternity. I can tell that being trapped in the celestial world has weakened your power. I will sacrifice whatever necessary to defeat you in your pathetic state, so I can rule over the gods _and_ those worthless humans." Neptune nodded to Gray and Lucy.

Gray began to stalk towards Neptune. "Who are you calling worthless?!"

Lucy grabbed Gray's hand. "Could you not…" She sighed. Gray was never afraid to enter a fight, especially when insulted. She knew now was not the time, however.

"Sacrifice?" Jupiter asked, confused.

Neptune lifted his hands to the sky, a devious look in his eyes. He touched his wrists together and opened his palms to the heavens. Several small lights began to soar through the sky, coming from far away, to reach Neptune's hands. As the numbers of lights in his hands increased, so did the size of the energy they created. They melded together, forming one ball of magic. As each light joined the sphere, the color of it changed slightly. It began as teal, turning to purple, blue, and back to teal again. One light jettisoned out of the ocean only a few yards behind Neptune. This light turned the orb a light shade of blue.

Suddenly, Lucy could feel her key pouch moving against her hip. "What the…" She mumbled. She reached for the pouch, opening it slowly. Removing the key ring from its home, she examined the gold, silver, and crystal keys. One crystal key seemed to be twitching angrily, clanking against the others.

"Is it… alive?" Gray asked.

Lucy reached her fingers out to grasp the key. She flipped it onto her palm, and examined the insignia the adorned its face; Juturna's geyser. Before Lucy could hold onto it, the key rose into the air out of her reach. It turned into a silver and navy ball of light, which swirled as though it was made of smoke.

"Juturna!" Lucy called out.

Juturna's light sped to Neptune's hands, turning the orb navy. Neptune continued to cackle.

"I taught myself this power. I have called all of the minor gods who serve me. Their powers have been combined into this attack, along with my own. There is no question that it will defeat you, and likely annihilate this entire coast. I will be without my servant gods, but who needs them when I will be ruling over the Olympians?"

"You fool!" Jupiter yelled.

Lucy stared at the glowing ball above Neptune's head. Her eyes began to well with tears as she was reminded of Juturna and the obvious love she still held for Pontus. Their power, the very essence of their lives, was about to be extinguished, along with countless other aquatic gods. Lucy's heart pounded.


	13. Golden Fountains

A/N: Sorry for my late update! I was away this last week. Back to our regularly scheduled programming ;)

Gray watched as tears dripped from Lucy's eyes. He knew the care Lucy had for her friends and celestial spirits. He knew he heart must be breaking for the aquatic gods, about to be thrown away by their master for his own selfish gain.

Neptune cackled, hovering the ball of power over the coast before them.

"Well, Jupiter? Any bright ideas for how you can stop me? You'll have to think quickly now!" Neptune taunted.

"You are a disgrace to the Olympian gods. We all have made many mistakes over the millennia. We have used humans to engage in war against one another. We have manipulated their hearts and emotions to suit our purposes. We have devised against one another. However, none of us have ever willingly sacrificed one of our own minor gods for such a selfish purpose. Even if you do kill me, Neptune, make no mistake. The other Olympians will rise against you. No one will willingly serve you." Neptune scowled as Jupiter finished his speech.

"Haughty words for someone so powerless in preventing his own demise."

"Lucy… Gray… You both need to run." Jupiter did not look away from Neptune as he spoke quietly.

Gray looked up, incredulous. "We aren't going to leave you. You expect us to run and let this guy just kill you and all of those minor gods?!"

"There is nothing the two of you can do now…"

Gray turned to Lucy and held his hand out. She looked up, gazing into his determined eyes. "Luce, are you ready to prove to these guys once and for all the power that humans have?"

Lucy wiped the remnants of her tears from her cheeks. She reached out with her hand, grabbing his, and nodded resolutely.

"You two will die!" Jupiter yelled.

"At least we'll die knowing that we did everything we could to help our friends." Gray and Lucy walked forward, several feet from the orb. They stood between Jupiter and Neptune, a grave resolve in their stance.

"And what, exactly, do you two think you're doing?" Neptune asked.

Lucy reached into her pouch, pulling out her last crystal key. "Open! Gate of the fertility goddess! Flora!" Lucy noticeably slumped over once the goddess appeared. It was clear that summoning two spirits at once had taken a toll on her. Gray touched her shoulder in support.

Flora took a moment to take in the scene around her. "What is our plan, Lucy?" She asked.

"Flora, we need to do everything possible to prevent that blast from hitting anything. It is made up of the souls of all of Neptune's aquatic gods. If it impacts anything, we will all die. We have to stop it!" Lucy exclaimed.

Flora nodded and turned to the defeated looking Jupiter.

"Flora… You should return to the celestial world and be safe." Jupiter advised her.

"Safety is hardly a priority when my King is about to be annihilated." She smiled. "We must fight together. Humans and gods, together. Have faith in them." Flora gestured to Lucy and Gray.

Jupiter and Flora stood beside them. The four faced the gigantic power source in a line, clearly with no intention of attempting to escape. Neptune's rage grew at what he viewed as their disbelief in his incredible power.

"You can all die together then!" Neptune yelled, and released the ball, which slowly started moving towards the four.

Jupiter, Flora, and Gray combined their power, creating a barrier. The barrier had the visible qualities of ice, as it was transparent and shining in the glow of the power sphere. However, it was colored with a tint of green, and lightening crackled around it. The three left their hands outstretched, feeding power into it to make it as strong as possible.

Lucy shook slightly as she waited for the blast to hit their barrier. She knew it was possible that Neptune's power was simply too great. The blast could cut through their barrier, smooth as butter. This could be her final moments on the Earth. She turned to Gray, taking in his profile. Something about knowing this may be her final day to be alive, caused her to yearn to be near him. She wanted to cower against his warmth, and die looking into each other's eyes. He was entirely focused on the barrier.

The seconds that it took for the blast to make its way to them felt more like hours. The knowledge of impending death was a time warp that few people would ever experience. Finally, it made its impact. The orb did not cut through the barrier immediately. However, it seemed to be taking off small layers. Gradually, the icy wall began to drip its power onto the sand covering the coast. Slowly, it was being eradicated.

"It's not going to hold out for much longer!" Gray shouted.

Flora and Jupiter pushed more of their power into the barrier, but it was clear that they soon would have nothing left to give. Their faces were much paler than normal, and their eyes seemed dimmer. Lucy turned her attention back to the orb, staring at its swirling blue colors. A fleeting image danced along its surface, that Lucy believed only she had seen. It gave her a new idea.

Lucy cupped her hands around the sides of her mouth and projected her voice. "Juturna! You need to fight this! You all need to fight this together! I know that gods aren't used to working together like this but… You all need to pool your powers together to _fight_ the attack! I know it's possible!"

Neptune turned to glance at Lucy. "Foolish girl… I have their power in my control. They cannot pool it _against_ me. They are too weak!"

Lucy shook her head. "Don't listen to him, Juturna! Neptune, Bacchus, you've always been berated about how weak you are. But… Everything isn't about sheer strength! The desire to protect someone you care about, or the desire to live, those are things cold men like Neptune don't have! That's your power!"

Lucy saw Juturna's face play on the surface of the sphere again. Her hand stretched out from the orb, reaching for someone. Lucy knew what she needed to do. She walked around the barrier, approaching Juturna's hand.

"Lucy! What are you doing?!" Gray yelled. His heart pounded, unsure of what was going on.

The power emanating from the sphere was difficult for Lucy to approach. She felt a pressure from it unlike anything she had experienced before. However, she fought back against it, struggling to reach her hand out to touch Juturna's.

"Juturna I… I care too much about you to let you go!"

A whisper came from the orb. "Lucy… Thank you…"

Finally, Lucy gave one last push of her arm, touching Juturna's palm. An incredible flow burst forth from the orb, sending Lucy flying backwards. She lay unconscious on the beach floor. Jupiter, Flora, and Gray were also shot backwards, but received much less of the impact than Lucy had. The glow was blinding. Gray tried to look into it, to understand what was happening, but his eyes couldn't bear to look at it.

After another minute, the glow finally dulled, and Gray was able to look up. Juturna stood before them, the silver bodysuit she had worn previously was now gold. A matching golden cape was now draped around her shoulders, extending only down to her elbows. Gray could sense that her power had attained new heights, and she looked angry.


	14. A Change of Heart

In the same way that they had arrived, the minor gods became small balls of light. They leapt off into the sky, returning to their rightful places; except for one. One light rose into the sky, forming into a glass key, and finally dropping to the ground by Juturna. Gray assumed this was Pontus.

Juturna eyed Neptune angrily.

"How could you have possibly broken out of that?!" Neptune raged.

"You would have never realized there was a way out. You wouldn't understand the power that is created when humans and gods truly care for each other. Lucy's love and concern for us broke your evil magic. She risked her life to reach out to us, and it has made me stronger than ever before."

Juturna gently picked up Pontus' key, tossing it to Gray who stood close by. "Gray, give that key to Lucy."

Juturna's request caused Gray to look around for Lucy, who he hadn't realized wasn't standing with him. He spotted her several feet away, still lying unconscious on the sand. "Lucy!" He yelled.

Gray and Jupiter rushed to her side. Gray listened and found that she was barely breathing. "Oh no, Luce…" Her body felt colder than normal. Gray laid his ear against her chest. Her heart was beating slowly. "She's…. Dying…." Gray's heart seemed to pound and slow at the same time. His stomach clenched with intense nausea. The thought crashed like a tidal wave against his body. She was fading away before his eyes.

Juturna noticed Gray's expression, and concern overwhelmed her. She began to walk towards Lucy, away from Neptune.

"Where do you think you're going, Juturna?! You must listen to my commands! You exist to be ruled by me!" Neptune was furious. "Stop where you are!"

Juturna glanced carelessly at Neptune. "You still don't understand. Lucy's love has broken my forced allegiance to you. I answer to no one but myself. You can never prevent me from helping Lucy."

Neptune's enraged expression dropped to one of shock. Juturna ignored him and came to Lucy's side. "Lucy…" She muttered sadly.

"Step aside you two." Jupiter addressed Gray and Juturna.

They looked curiously at Jupiter for a moment, before obeying his command. Jupiter leaned his misty form over Lucy. He placed his right hand over her heart. Small bolts of electricity crackled around his fingers. The lightning began to enter her body, causing her form to glow. Suddenly, Lucy's eyes shot open.

"I feel weird…" She stuttered sleepily.

Gray stared at Jupiter. "What did you do?"

"The heart uses electric signals to function properly. I simply provided Lucy's heart with the necessary signals, with the hope that it would return her heart to normal."

Gray blinked curiously. "How did you know it would work?"

"I know everything about electricity, boy."

Lucy sat up, still bewildered. "What happened?"

"You saved Juturna and all of the other aquatic gods. Your concern for them broke Neptune's spell, but it caused the spell to break apart and send you flying through the air. You hit your head pretty hard, I think…" Gray stroked the side of Lucy's head, where a lump was beginning to form.

His touch ignited her, helping to shake her from her daze and confusion.

"I'm glad you're okay." He whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.

"Gray, I…" Lucy was cut off by Neptune's booming voice.

"I suppose you all have forgotten I am even here." Everyone turned their heads quickly to face him.

"Do you intend to fight us further, Neptune? I believe we have sufficiently proven that even your fool proof attack can't keep Lucy from her purpose; saving the gods." Jupiter stood protectively in front of Lucy.

Neptune smiled. Gray felt that a calm, apologetic expression seemed misplaced on him. His hours of scowling and anger suited him better.

"No, Jupiter. I no longer intend to fight you all."

Gray stared suspiciously at Neptune. "And why is that?"

"I wanted to keep Pontus and Juturna from you because I believed humans to be weak, useless beings." Gray scowled, but allowed Neptune to continue. "I felt that the gods would be better off attempting to resolve the disappearance issue on our own. The relationship between Lucy and Juturna, and even Lucy and Jupiter, has changed my mind. Clearly, a genuine partnership is possible between gods and humans, and this can make us stronger, as it has with Juturna. I was wrong."

Juturna gaped. "You're… saying you were _wrong_? In thousands of years, you have never admitted to a single misjudgment."

Neptune huffed, shrugging his shoulders. "I suppose there is a first time for everything. I am still not fond of you, Jupiter, but perhaps you are wise enough to be our king. You saw the potential this girl had to help the gods. You did not allow your past prejudices against humans to blind you. You are free, Juturna, as is Pontus. I will no longer keep the two of you apart." Neptune began to sink back into the water, becoming one with the ocean.

Jupiter smirked. "This is the first moment I have ever thought highly of him."

"Lucy…" Juturna spoke up. "I have something to ask you…"

"What is it, Juturna?"

Juturna glanced at the crystal key, lying between Gray and Lucy. "Could you summon Pontus for me?"

Lucy could sense that Juturna was nervous, but nodded before picking up the key. She glanced at it momentarily, noticing its emblem was that of a fish.

"Open! Gate of the Marine King! Pontus!"

The form of a young man appeared before Lucy. His hair was a dusty blonde, similar to color of the sand that surrounded them. His eyes were a deep ocean blue, and his body was muscular. The clothes he wore didn't seem to match his physical features. Tattered, tan pants covered his legs and he wore a dark brown, leather vest that left his chest almost entirely exposed. Brown sandals were tied to his feet with what appeared to be ropes. The ropes wrapped around both of his legs, ending in a belt that tied around his waist. Ropes also wound around his large biceps and forearms, disappearing somewhere beneath his vest.

Pontus blinked, taking in his surroundings. His eyes stopped once they reached Juturna.

"Juturna…" He breathed longingly. "You look different."

Juturna smiled. "Thanks to Lucy, I'm more powerful than ever." Juturna gestured toward Lucy who smiled sheepishly.

Pontus crumpled his eyebrows in confusion. "I've never heard of such a thing, but… there's a rumor going around in the celestial world that a human and the trapped gods are working together to break the curse. The human must be Lucy?"

Juturna nodded. "It's been a long time, Pontus."

"It has. I've missed you…"

The two stared at each for several minutes. Lucy leaned towards Jupiter cupping her hand to the side to whisper.

"I don't understand… If they wanted to see each other for so long, why didn't they?"

"Neptune forbade any of his minor gods from taking on lovers. His wife left him long ago. I believe it was then that he made this command. He took his loneliness out on those he could control."

"That's horrible…" Lucy noticed a broken look on Jupiter's face as he spoke. It was then that she remembered where Jupiter's wife was. Lucy stood up fiercely, interrupting Pontus' and Juturna's reunion.

"Lucy?" Gray inquired.

"It's time to find Juno." She said.


	15. Keeping You Close

Gray gently grasped Lucy's wrist. "Are you sure you're okay? Shouldn't we rest first?"

Lucy blushed slightly. "We don't have much time. The longer we take, the more gods will be captured. We will just end up running around in circles, never able to catch up. Let's go." Lucy had determination in her voice. However, her body lacked the same conviction. As she started to walk towards the town, she became extremely lightheaded. Her foot caught against a stump on the ground, causing her fall forward into the sand.

"Lucy!" Gray kneeled next to her and offered his hand to help her up. "You're not okay…" He muttered. "You need sleep. We were up dealing with Neptune almost the whole night, and you were pretty injured. We have to rest." Gray looked behind him, taking in the sunrise over the ocean.

Juturna, Pontus, and Jupiter were standing nearby, watching Gray's attempt to convince Lucy to rest.

Juturna leaned closer to Jupiter's ear to whisper. "What's happening there, King?" Juturna gestured to Gray and Lucy.

Jupiter couldn't help but chuckle. "I doubt they even know. I am sure we will find out in due time."

"Lucy, let's make a deal. We go back into town and find some rooms. Just get four hours of sleep, and if you feel like that's enough, then we'll keep going. Please?" Gray pleaded.

Jupiter stepped up behind them. "Lucy, Gray is right. We have continued to encounter surprises with each discovery of a new god key. If you must face another foe and you are not at your best, it is likely that we will lose you. You are of no help to anyone if you are dead." Jupiter spoke with a finality that reminded Lucy of just how much authority he had back in his world.

Lucy nodded. "Alright. Four hours."

Pontus spoke up next. "Lucy, I want to thank you for saving Juturna and I from Neptune. I believe he understands now what it means to be a King. It has been a long time since I could be with Juturna." Pontus stared at Juturna for a moment, relief evident on his face. Lucy smiled.

"I was happy to help."

"Lucy, we must be going now. The three of us staying in this world will only continue to sap strength from you. We will see if we can find anything out about where Juno might be hidden. We will contact you if we hear anything of use." Juturna didn't really want to leave Lucy. She felt that after that two times Lucy had saved her that she owed her in return by staying by her side, always.

"Maybe this is a stupid question but…" Gray looked at Jupiter inquisitively. "What exactly is your wife in control of?"

"My wife is a patron saint. She is a protector of what she rules over. Marriage. She does not have powers the way that myself, or Neptune do. Instead, she is able to provide or refuse protection to humans and gods alike. Most of the time, she simply allows humans to live their lives by their own choices and reap the results. However, if she witnesses an exceptional human who is able to gain her respect, she will bind her protection to them. On the other hand, a human who commands her anger will be bound to a curse. The rest of us gods may be able to maim and take life, but she can alter the entire course of your future."

Gray raised his eyebrows. "Well, that sounds… intense."

"Yes, I would caution you to always approach my wife with utmost reverence. Her protection is invaluable. Now, it is time for us to return to the celestial world." Jupiter looked Gray deep in the eyes. "Gray, I expect that you will protect Lucy while we are away."

The three gods melted away into wind before Gray could respond. He clenched his fists angrily. "Who does that old man think he is? Thinks he's so great and smart… Thinks he need to tell me what to do when he isn't around like we're just a couple of dumb kids. Didn't see him be of any use the last few times we were getting pummeled by _his_ gods." Gray crossed his arms.

"Do you have a problem with protecting me, Gray?" Lucy stared at the ground dejectedly. She held her hands in her lap.

Gray realized how inconsiderate his ramblings were to Lucy. He leaned down, placing his hand on hers. "Luce, you don't need my protection. You're an amazing wizard whether I am here to back you up or not. _You_ are the one who has saved the gods and gained their love and respect. You don't _need_ my protection, but I'll always give it to you without hesitation. I don't need him to tell me to be there for you."

Lucy looked up at him. The way his dark eyes looked back at her was different than it had been a few days ago, at the beginning of their journey. Her heart pounded as the desire to be close to him consumed her once more. She glanced at his lips for a moment, and found her mind wandering to what they might feel like against her own. Just as she was about to take a risk, several local fishermen began descended onto the shore.

"The hell happened here?!" One of them yelled.

Gray and Lucy turned around to face the coast. The waves crashed against the shoreline, which looked completely torn up. Sand piles were thrown everywhere, and Neptune's angry waves from earlier had caused numerous seaweed and debris to pile up on the shore. It was a strange sight considering how calm the waves were now that Neptune had receded.

Gray and Lucy looked back at another and began to laugh uncontrollably. They realized how strange the state of the beach must be to these fishermen, who were left with no idea of the battle that had taken place. After a few minutes of raucous laughter, Gray stood up and gestured for Lucy to follow him.

"Come on. Let's go find somewhere to crash."

As they made their way back into the city, Lucy could see that these early hours were the typical waking time for the town. While most of the men had gone off to fish, the women were beginning to open their shades, and shops were opening their doors.

A few blocks later, they reached the town's main inn, which was much larger and luxurious than the previous inn they had stayed in back at Minima. Lucy was impressed as they entered the lobby. Marble floors, and beautiful oak wood furniture decorated the room.

"Yikes, this looks like it might be a bit out of our price range…" Gray mumbled.

"Leave it to me!" Lucy gave Gray a 'thumbs up' and pranced to the front counter.

"Hello, sir. My friend and I have had a rough night of traveling to reach this town… Do you think you can give us a discount on a couple of rooms?" Lucy blinked flirtatiously at the front desk attendant.

He met her attempt at flirtation with a scowl. "Sure, how about I take five jewel off of each room? That will bring your grand total to… eight thousand jewel."

"Are you kidding me?! We're travelers! We don't have that kind of money to just hand out every night! Where's the next closest inn?!" Lucy demanded.

"A few blocks to the west, ma'am, but we're the only inn left with any room. The _cheaper_ inns are booked by _fishermen_ who are visiting to fish in our recently overpopulated waters. It's been an unfortunate turn of events, having so many of the _poorer, working_ classes here recently." The man scowled at Lucy again, looking as though he smelled something extremely unpleasant.

Lucy stomped over to Gray and explained the situation. Gray took the money they had brought from his pocket and counted it out.

"Well, we did bring ten thousand jewel with us, but I don't think it would be smart to spend most of it on a couple of rooms. We don't really know how much longer we will be out and we need to eat…" Gray stated.

"Let's just share a room again. We just need it to get a few hours of shut eye in anyway."

Lucy went to the counter, reluctantly paying the arrogant desk clerk. When they reached their room, Lucy was again impressed with the beauty of its décor. Similar marble covered the room, while accents of gold dotted the walls and surfaces. The bed was incredibly plush. Lucy thought it may have been the most comfortable bed she had ever felt.

Gray decided to take a quick shower while Lucy climbed into bed. When Gray exited the bathroom, he saw Lucy still lying awake, staring at the ceiling.

"What's wrong, Luce? You should be sleeping."

"I just… Have a lot of anxiety about the rest of the day. It seems like every destination gets worse and I have a feeling that we still don't fully understand what is waiting for us in the end if we want to break the curse."

Gray sat next to Lucy on the bed. "If anyone can figure this out, it's us."

Lucy smiled. "Will you stay next to me? I'll sleep better if I know you're nearby…" She asked.

Gray was pleasantly surprised by her request. "Sure…"

A/N: The GrayLu is heating up!


	16. Something Precious

Lucy and Gray laid awkwardly in the large, king bed together. Both were on their sides, facing away from one another. Lucy had explained to Gray that her anxiety about the following day was overwhelming. She had told him that knowing he was nearby calmed her.

Lucy hadn't been entirely dishonest. She did have anxiety, and having Gray close did calm her. However, her mind was consumed with trying to figure out what she felt for Gray, not their next impending destination. The minutes passed, and she could tell that Gray still wasn't asleep either, as his breathing hadn't succumbed to the familiar rhythm of his slumber.

Lucy turned over, facing Gray's back. "Gray…" She whispered.

He faced Lucy. "Can't sleep?" He asked.

Lucy shook her head. "I want to ask you something…"

"Go ahead."

Lucy's heart pounded. Her cheeks reddened and she closed her eyes, preparing herself for the words about to flood from her mouth.

"Do you… Do you notice anything different between us since we've been on this job?!" The words came out louder than she had planned. Her desperation to force out her thoughts had clearly taken over.

Gray was unsure what she meant. The past several days raced through his mind as he tried to understand the meaning of her words. "Why, Luce? Do you notice anything different?" He asked, sounding confused and slightly hopeful.

Lucy opened her eyes to meet his. She took in the depth of his gaze for a moment. Her stomach lurched at the intensity of her feelings.

"I… think I might be falling for you. I just… I never realized protective and strong you could be until this job. You were right before, when you said I relied too much on Erza and Natsu at times. You encourage me to save myself, but you're always there if I need it. You're strong, but you also make me feel strong. I… would never want to feel that stop." Her courage grew as she spoke. She watched Gray's eyes widen for a moment as she spoke, but then soften again as she ended.

For a few moments, neither of them said anything more. They simply lay there, together, taking in the silence. Gray reached out gently, running his fingers through her soft blonde hair. His touch calmed Lucy, who was still unsure of how Gray felt in return.

"Gray?" She questioned quietly.

Gray's fingers stopped stroking her hair. He held the back of her head softly in his hand. He began to pull her slowly closer to him. Lucy closed her eyes until, at last, she felt his lips reach hers. The softness of his lips, and intensity of his desire surprised Lucy.

As their lips parted, Gray looked at Lucy and smirked. "I've always thought you were beautiful. You've grown so much since you first came to Fairy Tail. But you were always off with Natsu, so I never was able to know you as well as I wanted to. A lot of people in the guild constantly made comments about how you and Natsu should "end up together". I guess I just decided at some point not to see you as anything more than a guild mate. On this job, though, I couldn't help but _notice_ you."

Lucy smiled. Gray pulled her against his chest, holding her close. The anxiety she had felt earlier, lying awake and cold in the bed, was gone. Suddenly, the intense exhaustion she had from the night's events washed over her. Against her will, her eyes closed and she drifted into a deep sleep.

During her slumber, Lucy's dreams were vivid. She found herself in the celestial world surrounded by large, angry gods that she did not recognize. Like Neptune, they all despised her for her relationship with the captured gods. Angriest of all was Juno, a beautiful woman in a long, white gown. Behind her stood a goddess with shimmering blonder hair that almost touched the floor. She wore a striped of fabric around her bosom and a long, sheer skirt. Both pieces were a shade of subdued orange.

"I am Venus, the goddess of love and beauty." She smiled gently at Lucy. Her countenance was a stark contrast from those of the other gods. She didn't appear angry with Lucy at all. Instead, she seemed to welcome her silently.

Venus continued to speak. "Lucy, you will be tested greatly in the coming days. Take heart. You are capable of succeeding. You are a part of a much larger purpose. When you awaken, you will find something precious is missing. Make good choices, and you will be able regain what was taken from you. Become consumed by your fear, however, and that which was taken will exist no longer. You will have three days."

Lucy stood stoically, unable to comprehend what Venus was telling her. Gradually, the gods surrounding Lucy began to disappear one by one, until only Venus remained.

"Wait!" Lucy shouted, reaching her hand out to the goddess.

"Yes?" The goddess smiled again.

"What is going to be taken from me? How do I know where to find it?"

"You will know when you awaken, Lucy. Although it may seem that the gods are against you for taking from you, they are not. I am confident that you will find guidance through the rest of your journey. And do not forget the importance of the gods that reside with you already. Now, awaken, Lucy."

Lucy shot up from her sleep, gasping for breath. She could hear the quickened beat of her heart ringing in her ears. Her forehead felt hot and pounded with an acute ache. Reaching her hand up to cradle her aching head, she realized that she was dripping in sweat. The dream itself didn't seem exceptionally frightening. Lucy couldn't understand why it had affected her so physically.

It took her several minutes to remember where she was. The beautiful room she was in seemed so unfamiliar. The dream had scrambled her memory and focus. She placed her hand on the left side of the bed, leaning her weight against it. Her fingers realized before she did that something wasn't right. Her hand searched further out onto the bed, only feeling blankets and emptiness.

Lucy turned her head to the empty bed. Gray wasn't there. She looked around the room, trying to find where he might have gone. The door to the bathroom was closed. Lucy got up and knocked loudly on the door.

"Gray? Are you in there?" She called.

There was no response. Lucy's hand began to shake slightly as she turned the knob to open the door. Her eyes were met with an unwelcome sight; more emptiness. He was nowhere in the room. Venus' voice echoed through Lucy's brain.

'When you awaken, you will find something _precious_ is missing.'

"Gray…. She meant Gray…. Gray is gone. Three days…. It wasn't a dream….." Lucy sank to her knees. Her body shook with fear and anger.

Her king ring lay on a table nearby. Unbeknownst to Lucy, mist began to pour from the keys, causing Jupiter and Juturna to burst forth from the celestial world. Juturna saw Lucy crumpled on the floor, clearly upset.

Juturna approached her gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Lucy… What's wrong? Where's Gray?"

"He's gone…" Lucy muttered. "I had a dream that I was in the celestial world and Venus told me something would be taken of mine. I have to follow the right path to get him back before three days. They took him while I was sleeping…" With a tear stained face, Lucy looked desperately up at Juturna.

Juturna pulled Lucy into her arms, allowing her to release the tension and sadness. Jupiter looked intently at Lucy Juturna. 'Venus… What exactly do you have to do with this?' He wondered.


	17. Hell's Ravine

A/N: Uzumaki Naho: I would tell you if I knew! Honestly, I'm not sure when it's going to end. I'm just having so much fun writing it, I'll probably try to stretch it as long as I can ;)

Juturna pulled away from Lucy. "Lucy, we should get going. Jupiter found something out about where Juno might be. Are you feeling up to it?"

Lucy wiped the tears from her eyes, remembering what Venus had said. She had to follow the guidance of her god spirits, even if everything in her body was screaming that she must go directly after Gray.

"Juturna, just promise me one thing?" Lucy asked.

Juturna smiled warmly at Lucy. "Anything."

"Can you… Stay with me for as long as possible? I don't want to travel alone. These journeys were hard enough with Gray, but now…" Lucy choked herself up again as she envisioned walking through the streets alone.

"Of course! But you don't think it will take too much of your magic power?"

Lucy shook her head. "I've become a lot stronger with you all by my side. Just having you walk next to me shouldn't be troublesome at all anymore."

"Then I won't allow you to be alone, even for a second."

Lucy felt comforted by Juturna's assurance. She knew that if she had been left to solitary travel, her mind would become consumed with painful thoughts of Gray. She only had three days to save him from wherever he was. They had barely had enough time to finally express their feelings to one another, and already, he had been taken from her. 'How did they know he was precious to me? This all happened only moments after we admitted that to one another… And was it Venus who took him, or someone else?' She became absorbed in her thoughts, not paying attention to the conversation between Jupiter and Juturna.

"Lucy?" Juturna tapped her on the shoulder, shaking her from her musings. "Do you want to hear what we found out?"

"Oh…. Oh! Yes! Please, go ahead!"

Jupiter began. "It appears that Juno was taken with a different purpose than the rest of us. She is being used as bait to lure us to a particular place. Obviously, something terrible will likely await us there, but I do not see any other option but to go."

Juturna picked up the explanation. "Yes, we have reason to believe that her key is at the bottom of a ravine over in the Plutonous Mountains. We will need to take a train several towns over, then walk the rest of the way. The ravine is the _lowest_ point on the Earth that is accessible to humans."

Lucy noticed the way Juturna emphasized "lowest". "Is that significant for some reason?" She asked.

Juturna looked heavily at Jupiter, who answered Lucy. "Lucy, we have reason to believe that the most evil god of the Underworld may have caught wind of what has been happening. It is very possible that he will be involved in some way."

"But how would he have just found out now? Haven't these disappearances been going on for a while? I would have thought all of the gods would know about it…"

"There are several worlds that the gods reside in. The gods of the sea, or agriculture, have their own places within the Olympus, our land. The twelve Olympians also have their own place. While all gods of life, light, and nature are able to reside within Olympus, gods of darkness and death are not. Instead, a different world exists, the Underworld, which houses these gods. The matters of Olympus and the Underworld rarely mix."

"I'm guessing by your tone that it isn't a good thing if he knows what's going on?" Lucy questioned.

Juturna nodded. "Correct. Pluto has ruled the Underworld as long as Jupiter and Neptune have been in power. Jupiter and Neptune, however, hold much more power and authority over the gods. As you saw earlier, there is a lot of tension between Neptune and Jupiter over who the rightful King of Gods should be. This isn't much different between Pluto and Jupiter… Only Pluto tends to use even trickier, darker means to attain what he wants. You see, Neptune, Pluto, and Jupiter are brothers."

"Brothers?!" Lucy exclaimed. "Gods can have those?"

Jupiter's eyebrow twitched. "Of course we can! The concept is the same as in the human world. Did you not expect that we would have parents either?"

"Well, to be honest, no. I figured you just… "poofed" into existence." Lucy mumbled sheepishly.

Jupiter exploded into violent laughter. "You are one of a kind, Lucy Heartfilia."

Jupiter's comment warmed Lucy's sad heart. "Let me just grab my thing really quick and we can head out!" The gods nodded while Lucy ran into the bathroom to grab her bag. Something dark was lying on the clean, white sink. It caught her eye as she was exiting the bathroom. Lucy turned to pick up the object. It was Gray's necklace.

Hanging from the long silver chain was his pendant. The pendant looked like a sword shaped into a cross. Lucy draped the silver chain around her neck and flipped her hair over it.

"Gray never takes this off…" She whispered to herself. "It's almost like he left it to tell me he has faith in me… He knows we will see each other again, so I can return it to him." True or not, Lucy clung to the thought that Gray had made on final effort to support her before being separated from her.

Lucy exited the bathroom to find only Juturna left in the main room.

"Where did Jupiter go?" She asked.

"Oh, he went back the celestial world. We can't expect you to be able to sustain two spirits being out of their keys for too long. Since we aren't sure what will be facing us at the ravine, we need your strength to be in top shape, right?" Juturna noticed the necklace that hung against Lucy's chest. She recognized it as Gray's and smiled.

"You're very upset about Gray, aren't you Lucy?" Juturna questioned.

Lucy blushed slightly. "Of course. He and I have been friends for a while now… I don't know what I would've done without him on this journey…"

"Lucy…." Juturna glared knowingly at her. "Tell me the truth."

Lucy fidgeted under her intense gaze. "We are friends. Nothing more. Last night though, we kissed so… There's something more there, but we didn't even have a chance to find out…" Lucy could feel her eyes sting with tears again.

Juturna suddenly grabbed Lucy's shoulders, forcing her to look her in the eyes. "Lucy. Gray wouldn't want you to spend all of this time blubbering over him. Being sad won't bring him back. Being strong, and moving forward; that is what will save him. I'm here for you, as your celestial god spirit, and friend. But you need to be strong for yourself if you want to save Gray."

Lucy clenched her eyes, erasing the tears from them. "You're right. Let's go. I've wasted enough time."

A/N: Sorry this one is a little shorter than most! I promise I'll make the next one long


	18. Real Or Fake

The rest of the day had passed uneventfully. Lucy and Juturna trudged along on their travel to the ravine. As night began to fall, they decided to make camp in a dusty, open area of land.

Lucy lay asleep on a thing blanket covering the ground. The god spirits did not require sleep, so Juturna stayed awake, keeping watch over Lucy so she could comfortably sleep. Little did Juturna know, however, that Lucy's sleep was anything but peaceful.

Her dreams were plagued with vivid images of Gray's capture. Her brain gave life to the frightful thoughts she had hidden deep within her subconscious. She saw him being refused food or water, and looking sickly. She saw him bruised and broken, being physically tortured by magic and brute force. She saw his life force being slowly drained from him by the evil god of darkness, Pluto.

Finally, Lucy aroused from her nightmarish slumber with the dawn of morning. She sat up, shaking slightly as her mind reminded her that the images had been nothing more than a terrible dream. The goddess, Venus, had told Lucy she had three days. He would at least be alive until then. Lucy softly touched Gray's necklace, which still rested around her neck. The familiar piece comforted her.

"Morning, Juturna." Lucy said pleasantly, trying to regain her spirit.

"Lucy! I hope you slept well!"

"Heh, yeah, thanks for keeping watch so I could have a good night's rest." Lucy scratched the back of her head as she lied. She didn't feel there was any reason to share her dreams with Juturna.

They quickly packed up the few supplies they had used, and returned their focus on their destination. The closer they got to the ravine, the more desert-like the land became. It seemed that a path of death led them along.

"Are you worried, Lucy?" Juturna asked after several quiet hours of travel.

Lucy watched her feet kick up dust as she spoke. "Of course. I'm worried about a lot of things, though. I'm worried if Gray is being treated well, wherever he is. I'm also worried if we will get to him in time. But I'm worried about Juno, and freeing all of you too. Venus told me in my vision that I needed to trust the judgment of my god spirits, so that's what I'm going to do. That's all there is to it."

Juturna smiled. "You get stronger every day, you know."

Many miles away, Gray was being held in a dimly lit room. The walls were made of stone that glowed with an eerie shade of purple. There was a door and window to the room, but Gray had been unable to exit through either. It seemed that the purple was actually a kind of magic that prevented him from leaving. Any attempts at escape had left him feeling weak, and he could never break the seal. From what he could see outside of the window, more stone rooms and hallways were beyond the door. He had no concept of time in this room, but his growling stomach told him it had been several hours since he was last fed.

Sure enough, a plate of food and glass of water appeared in front of him. So far, he had been rather well taken care of, considering he was clearly a prisoner of some kind. This meal consisted of a warm, buttered bread roll, creamy mashed potatoes, thick slices of ham, and a mix of vegetables. The food provided never left him disappointed.

Gray scarfed down the plate and lay back, rubbing his belly happily. A small burp escaped his lips, to which he muttered "excuse me", before realizing how unnecessary the gesture of manners was. After all, here didn't appear to be anyone else around.

Gray thought back to when he had awakened in his prison. The last physical memory he had was falling asleep next to Lucy, moments after their kiss. However, he did vaguely remember a strange dream he had had. A young woman with long blonde hair and a gentle glow to her body had told him she did not intend to harm him. He hadn't understood her words at the time, but he now couldn't help but imagine they were a promise for how he would be treated during his capture. His mind returned to Lucy, wondering if she was safe, or if she had also been taken.

To Gray's surprise, for the first time since his arrival, he heard footsteps. Everything he had needed always just appeared in the room, so there had been no need for any human interaction. He scrambled up from the floor, rushing over to the window that gave him visibility to the hallway. He could tell that the footsteps were traveling closer to him. The click of the steps told Gray that it was likely a woman wearing heels.

Finally, she came into his sight and his mouth dropped open. It was the young woman from his dream, but she appeared more ethereal than she had then. Her form was misty, reminding him of Jupiter's.

"Who are you?" Gray whispered, almost inaudibly.

"I am the goddess of love, Venus." She replied.

"Venus… But I… I dreamt of you the other night. Do you know why I'm here?"

Venus nodded. "I have been following you, Gray Fullbuster, and your partner, Lucy Heartfilia. I have followed Lucy for the last several years, but you became a part of my focus when you teamed up with her recently."

Gray scratched his head. "This isn't really helpful… Why were you watching over Lucy?"

"I believe it would be inappropriate to say that I was watching _over_ her, Gray. I did not interfere with her life in any way during that time, which means I also made no efforts to protect her during dangerous times. No, my purpose was far less noble than that."

"Look, lady, you're still not making any sense to me. So you were spying on Lucy for the hell of it?"

Venus shook her head. "I believed Lucy to be the one I had been seeking for many centuries. My needs were very particular, so I had to be sure. When you came into the picture, I saw something between you both that intrigued me. I began to interfere shortly after you accepted the job request where you found Jupiter."

"Wait. What do you mean you interfered? You certainly didn't help us in any way. We continually got into more trouble than we could handle, almost dying a few times. Are you one of our enemies, or what?"

"I'm afraid it isn't as simple as friend or enemy, Gray. I am a god. I am inherently selfish, and I pursue my own agenda. Lucy was an important part of what I had hoped for the future of our world. The way you have been able to reinforce her confidence and support her has only made that more evident to me. I knew that I would eventually need to find someone, or something, she cared about enough to give up everything to come after, however. The way I allowed your relationship with Lucy to form gave me that opportunity."

" _Allowed_?"

Venus nodded again. "I am the goddess of love."

Gray's heart stopped. He ran the word through his mind again: _allowed_. "Did you manipulate me? Lucy?"

The goddess only smiled, unconcerned. Gray made to reach through the window they spoke through, hoping to grab the goddess. However, he was stopped the barrier yet again. Venus began to dissipate in front of him, just as Jupiter normally had. A few seconds later, her misty form was gone.

Gray slouched against one of the stone walls, staring at his palms outstretched before him. He began to mutter his scrambled thoughts to himself.

"The goddess of love… Do _I_ love Lucy? Or did she force me to love her so we could fit into her plan? Maybe I do love Lucy on my own… But how can I know if she loves me on _her_ own? Could Lucy even know? Damnit!" Gray yelled, punching the solid ground beneath him. His immense force didn't seem to affect the surface at all.

"I don't care if it's real or fake, Lucy. Just please be safe…"


	19. Cosmic Bargaining

Gray sat slumped against the wall of his cell. It had been several hours since his mysterious meeting with Venus. As the minutes passed, he felt his confused emotions transform into anger. Back and forth his mind went, trying to analyze wether Lucy's emotions were her own. He had immediately decided that his were without question. His attraction to Lucy had existed from the moment she walked through the doors of Fairy Tail. However, the guild was full of beautiful girls. Something about her had always been different to him. His response to her the night they kissed had been honest; he had simply written her off as unavailable based on her relationship with Natsu.

The problem with his current line of thinking was that he had also convinced himself that Lucy's feelings were not genuine. Every moment on this current journey that he had defined as a showcase of her feelings, he now tainted with manipulation. The way she looked at him so many times, the way she held her body against his, protected him, the kiss; every interaction was fake to him now. He resented everyone. Himself for becoming convinced there was something there. Venus for her manipulation of his life. The gods for even creating the need for this job. Natsu for his relationship with Lucy. He even resented Lucy, feeling that she could have fought the spell or verbalized its effects to him somehow.

He dreaded seeing her again. He hoped someone else from the guild might come to help him, or that he could otherwise figure a way out on his own. He knew the likelihood of that was slim however. Eventually, he fell into an uncomfortable sleep. In one dream, he saw Venus laughing at him as he was forced to watch Lucy leave him behind while holding hands with Natsu. In another, Lucy was laughing heartlessly at him, commenting on how gullible he was. When he finally woke up, he was more irritated than ever.

A plate of breakfast foods appeared in his cell, which he ate grudgingly. "I need to figure a way out of here before she comes thinking she'll save the day.." he mumbled to himself. "She'll probably think I'm still unaware of what's going on. I'll show her. I'll blow her off and throw a wrench in everyone's plans." His ability to ruin everything gave him smug satisfaction.

"Now to find a way out of this enchanted jail.." Gray looked around. He had already tried the door and window but the purple glow that encircled the cell seemed to sap him of all energy if he touched it. "So that just means i need to find out how to deactivate this." He looked out beyond the cell walls and saw a strange world on the other side. It looked fairly normal and similar to Fiore. The buildings were larger than he was used to and the entire area possessed an ethereal glow. What he would do if and when he got out was as questionable as getting out itself.

Lucy awoke just outside of the chasm where Juturna and Jupiter suspected that Pluto would reside, waiting for them. Two nights had passed now since Gray had been taken. This meant there was only one day, one sunset, remaining before her time was up. The sun was just beginning to rise. There was no point waiting any longer. Lucy quickly splashed her face with cool water, changed into fresh clothes, and clipped her key ring to her side. The crystalline god keys glittered spectacularly in the morning sun.

"Ready?" Juturna asked.

Lucy simply nodded, evident determination in her eyes. The terrain was filled with soft, red soil and rocks. It was a tough walk, but short, before they came to a significant dip. Lucy looked out ahead and saw that the dip deepened into a large canyon. The soil here was no longer red and fertile. It had become grey and black, clearly a sign of death.

"This is it." Rumbled Jupiter. "Remember what we talked about, Lucy. You are to follow my direction without question. Pluto is my brother, but he is no comrade of mine. If you thought my relationship with Neptune was tumultuous, you have seen nothing yet. Pluto attempts to undermine the gods whenever he can. He is jealous, powerful, and ruthless."

"I will." Lucy replied. Jupiter's form dissipated along with Juturna's. Lucy was now alone physically. However, Jupiter had promised to keep watch as events unfolded. Lucy carefully used her whip to help climb down the cliff side. Jupiter had instructed her not to make it obvious that she possessed celestial spirits of any kind. She safely made it to the bottom and began navigating to the ravine's center. Nothing was there.

"He's not here." She mumbled, disappointed.

"Just wait." Jupiter spoke in Lucy's mind.

Just a moment after Jupiter's instruction, Lucy noticed a faint red glow beginning to brighten a few feet from her. As the glow grew, it began to take shape, but the shape certainly wasn't human. The form solidified and the figure of Pluto smirked knowingly at Lucy.

Pluto would almost have looked like a human skeleton if it weren't for several pieces of the shape being "off". The jaw protruded more than it should have. The chest was larger and broader than it should have been. Skeletal wings with tightly stretched deep purple skin were barely visible beneath a cloak of black and gold covered in ugly belts. His eyes were monstrous. They were large with red pupils and and black, bloodshot spidering. He held a staff of deep purple topped with a concerning crystal ball holding red smoke.

"And who might you be?" His voice was so deep, it was clearly inhuman.

"I'm Lucy. And I'm here to bargain with you." Lucy spoke with confidence though Pluto's appearance made her shiver.

"Oh-ho! Bargain with me? Many come to me to ask for a deal. It has been a long time since i last had a visitor. Although, i admit i am a terrible time-keep. I digress, normally people come to me within the underworld, begging for a second chance at their lives. That or the living request to sell me their souls in exchange for some ridiculous desire; money, love, power. What is it that brings you to see me, rose bud?"

His response unnerved Lucy. "I need your help. I need to be taken to the world of the gods."

Pluto boomed with laughter. "My dear, I don't help people. I need something in return. As the reaper of souls, there are few things that interest me besides the spirits of humans."

"I can't give you my soul, but i can give you this..." Lucy pulled a small orb from her pocket. It had been given to her by Jupiter earlier as a bargaining chip against Pluto.

"That sphere... Do you have any idea what it is that you hold, girl?" Pluto demanded.

Jupiter hadn't explained the item in detail. He had simply told her that it would be extremely valuable to Pluto and he should be willing to assist if he knew it would be in his possession.

"Of course i do." She lied. "Well, do you want it or not? I don't have all day."

"You're lying." He hissed. "You have no idea. What you hold is the orb of complacent death. It is filled with the spirits of my fellow dark gods and goddesses. Jupiter took them from me millennia ago as punishment after i attempted to overthrow him."

Lucy tried not to look surprised. "There's one more condition if you want me to hand this over." Pluto looked with sickening longing at the orb. "You'll need to return Juno."

"Ah, now this makes sense. You must have somehow come into contact with my dear brother. I admit, I sensed Juno's key here before, but someone has since taken it back to the god world. I could tell you who, but I've rather enjoyed how these events have unfolded and I'm curious to see how you figure it out on your own."

"So you're refusing to help?"

"Of course not." Pluto's face darkened with impatience. "I am a master of bargaining to get my way. So I have an additional condition. You will not allow my brother to return to the world of the gods and break free from the celestial world. I know that it would take the power of a celestial wizard to have come into contact with him and this orb and I know it would take celestial power to free him eventually. That and the orb. Those are my conditions."


	20. The Portal

"What?!" Lucy shouted. "There's no way!" Lucy prepared to say more but was stopped internally by Jupiter speaking to her mind.

'Make the agreement, Lucy.' The king boomed to her.

'But Jupiter... Pluto said that the deals made with him are binding. I won't be able to go back on my word. I can't just let you be stuck in the celestial world forever! If i do... then what was the point of all of this?!" She thought.

'You are correct that deals made with the king of the underworld are binding. There will be no turning back from this once you commit and I am well aware of that fact. We don't have the luxury of time to debate whether there are better courses of action available.'

Lucy's eyes were wide with shock. Tears began to form in the corners, threatening to spill over. She had always viewed her celestial spirits as close friends and comrades. The god spirits were no different. "I can't..." she whispered aloud.

'LUCY!' Jupiter's voice pierced her brain like a shard of ice as he scolded her. 'Do you truly think that I did not know there was every possibility that Pluto would try something like this if we came and requested entrance to the world of the gods? Do you truly believe that I wasn't prepared for this very thing from the moment that I agreed we should come here? The gods trapped in keys cannot grant you access to the world of the gods. Humans can only enter the world with the express permission of an Olympian god who is NOT trapped in a key, or through Pluto's means. There is NO other way we can accomplish this within the allotted time. I have no means to track down the olympians who could grant you entrance in my current state. This. Is. The. Only. Way." Jupiter emphasized every word of his last sentence.

"But the whole reason..." Lucy spoke aloud again but was cut off by Jupiter a third time.

'The whole reason we came here is to save the world of the gods from annihilation, to free the gods already trapped in keys, and to save Gray. My freedom is a small sacrifice to accomplish larger, more important goals. You cannot fail to see the bigger picture here, Lucy. I will not die. I will simply exist as a celestial spirit, by your side. You have changed me, Lucy Heartfilia. For millennia, I viewed humans as pawns, inconveniences, we could use to accomplish other goals. You have changed my view. I am happy to work with you for eternity.'

Hearing Gray's name again caused Lucy's stomach to do a backflip as she was reminded how little time remained to save him from whatever fate he was facing. Touched by Jupiter's show of selflessness and sacrifice for both Lucy and his subordinate gods, Lucy wiped the offending tears from her eyes.

"Fine." She muttered. "Pluto, I agree to your terms."

Cackling horribly, Pluto raised his staff. The red smoke within the crystal ball on top began to swirl. An uncomfortably warm sensation appeared against Lucy's hip. She looked down, touching her celestial key ring and noticed that Jupiter's glass key had become gold and was glowing with heat. The contract truly was binding.

As the key's heat finally ebbed away, the orb of complacent death that Lucy had been holding suddenly flew out of her hands and was absorbed within the globe that topped Pluto's staff. The smoke swirling within it began to change colors. First it glowed green, then became an intense purple, and finally raced through a series of colors too quickly for Lucy to make them out individually. Spirits with no form to their bodies shot out from the globe and passed through the dead, black earth into the abyss beneath the surface.

Lucy spoke within her mind again to Jupiter. 'Aren't you concerned that he has all those servants back now?'

Lucy's mind suddenly flashed with an image of Jupiter shrugging. 'None of them can leave the underworld. They were taken from him as a means of punishment for his crimes against the rest of the olympians; not because they posed any particular threat to anyone.'

Satisfied, Lucy turned her attention back to the overly pleased Pluto. She felt more than a little unnerved to see such a demonic creature so delighted.

"Well, you got your side of the deal, now it's my turn. Will you transport me to the world of the gods now?"

"It's not quite that simple." Pluto stated.

"The contract is binding! You can't back out of your part now!" Yelled Lucy.

"Stupid girl. I never said I was backing out. I SAID it's not quite so simple. I will need to take you back to the underworld with me."

"Why is that?" Lucy asked suspiciously. "What are you planning to do with me?" Lucy's conceited mind ran through frightening images of being some type of slave for Pluto due to her beauty.

Pluto looked suddenly exasperated. "Do with you? As though the ruler of the underworld would have any need of a human girl... You see, my dear brother has quite the sense of humor when it comes to punishment. Beyond barring me from the world of the gods and stripping me of my subordinate gods, he thought it would be quite poetic to place a portal in the underworld that has the ability to transfer someone, god or human, to the Olympian world."

"I don't understand..." Lucy trailed off. "Why wouldn't you just use it to go back if you were so angry about the punishment?"

"It is not for my use. Only someone..." Pluto stopped, looking disgusted and then recomposing himself, continued. "Only someone with a pure heart and selfless intentions for wanting entrance to the world would be able to pass through the portal without having their body and soul torn apart. Someone whose body and soul are irreparable cease to exist entirely and cannot exist in the afterlife. Many have tried and none have made it. There has never been a selfless purpose for anyone to enter the world of the gods without the aid of an Olympian. My guess is the old buffoon sent you here believing that was different in your case."

Pluto swiped his staff and Lucy felt an aggressive pull at her navel that caused a sensation as though she was falling through the ground. With a thump, she landed on her butt in what appeared to be a dark cavern.

She got up from the ground, rubbing her rump, annoyed with the soreness the fall had caused. She looked around the cavern. It was dark and dingy, smelling of a cross between moss and meat that was just starting to take a turn for the worse. Between the lurch through the earth that she had just experienced, and the unique smell of her current place, Lucy thought she might lose her breakfast at any moment.

Just as she was convinced she was going to be sick, a soft blue light coming from the other end of the cavern caught her eye, refocusing her on the task at hand. "That must be it..." She whispered. She looked around, not seeing Pluto nearby and decided he had simply transported her to have access to the portal.

Mist began to take form next to Lucy until Jupiter's imposing figure was visible. "Yes, that is the way." He stated.

"Jupiter... Pluto said that to enter, your intentions have to be completely selfless and you have to be pure of heart.."

"Yes." He confirmed simply.

"It's just... what if I...?" She trailed off.

Jupiter sighed. "Lucy, I have seen into your mind during my time as your celestial god spirit. I have seen your past. I have seen how you have grown, all that you have sacrificed for your friends. I have seen your present. Your journey on this mission, your growing strength, and the way your feelings for Gray kindled. I know you quite well in this short time and i know your intentions for entering this world. I would not have sent you here if i thought for a moment that your soul would be damaged for eternity. Remember, i made this portal and i am well aware of how it works."

Lucy smiled at Jupiter's kind words. "Then let's go. There's no point in wasting any more time."

Making her way carefully to the dull glow, Lucy noticed that it originated from a single source on the cave floor. She reached out her hand to touch the small light and felt herself swept into bright nothingness as though riding on a breeze.

Unlike with Pluto's form of transportation, Lucy landed gently on her feet in a world so contrasted to where she had just been she felt her eyes might burn. The light of this new place was somehow even brighter than the light from the sun in the human world. However, there was a distinct human-like quality to the world of the gods. The buildings, trees, and roads were so similar to what one might see on earth that if you didn't look closely enough, you might not notice any difference at all. However, as Lucy examined the landscape, she noticed that things were larger than what you would find on earth and everything seemed to have an ethereal glow to it.

"Gray, I'm coming." She breathed.


	21. Like It Never Happened

Gray was slumped against the side of his prison, exhausted from numerous attempts at breaking out. His hope of making it out on his own was now nonexistent. "Damn gods... should have known this wouldn't be as simple as we thought... damn it. Damn it. Damnit." Gray slammed his fist against the ground, yelling the words until a high pitched giggle caught his ear.

"Who's there?" He called, hearing the giggle again.

A girl peered around the corner. Her skin was fair and her pure white hair fell in two long pigtails, almost touching the ground. She wore a fluffy white dress that made her look more like a marshmallow than a person.

"What do you want?" Gray asked.

"Well.. I heard you're an ice wizard. Is that true?"

Gray glared at the girl. "Could be. Who wants to know?"

The girl squealed, causing Gray to jump. She suddenly disappeared from the place she had been standing, appearing in the cell right next to Gray. Gray shot across the cell to the opposite side of where the girl now stood. She frowned.

"You're awfully attractive. I thought you might be." She sighed dreamily. The girl disappeared from her place again, appearing in Gray's lap. "I've never touched a human before." She breathed.

Gray blushed slightly and pushed the girl off. "Who the hell are you? How do you know I'm an ice wizard?"

Exasperated, the girl sighed. "Well you don't have to be rude. My name is Khione. I'm the goddess of snow. I heard a rumor that Venus was planning to bring a human man here and he had the power to control ice. I just HAD to meet you. Like I said, I've never touched a human before. Snow, ice, what better combination? I'm sure we would make the most beautiful Demi gods."

"If that's all you want, you might as well leave. I'm not interested."

"Hmph." Khione crossed her arms. She pouted at Gray who avoided her gaze entirely. "Do you have some silly human girlfriend?"

Lucy's soft blonde hair popped into Gray's mind. It always smelled like strawberries, and he could almost swear he smelled the familiar scent of her closeness. "No."

Khione giggled again. "Not very convincing. It's written all over your face. What's her name?"

"There isn't a her." He mumbled through gritted teeth. "What i had wasn't real."

Khione's playful expression dropped and she eyed Gray with suspicion. "Does Venus have something to do with that?" Gray was silent and Khione seemed to take this as confirmation.

"Ugh, i can't stand Venus. She thinks she's so beautiful, goddess of love and all, blah blah blah."

"You and her don't get along then?" He asked.

"Let's just say we have differences of opinion... and she's jealous of my youth." Khione added, flipping her hair haughtily. "I might as well help you get out of here just to annoy her."

Gray grabbed onto Khione's arms, looking her urgently in the eyes. "You can do that?"

Khione stared back. "I can't let you out but I can give you a hint." She giggled again. "I'm sure a smart, handsome guy like you has figured out by now that the purple aura surrounding this cell will sap you of your magic if you touch it, right?" Gray nodded.

"Stare at the purple vapor surrounding the cell for a little while. You should see it eventually."

Gray let go of khione's arms, irritated. "That's your great advice? Stare at it?!"

Khione shrugged and before Gray had a chance to ask for more detail, she had disappeared again, leaving a small pile of snow where she had just been. Gray ran his hands through his hair. "I guess i don't have any better ideas..."

Resigning himself to Khione's advice, Gray plopped himself in the corner of the cell and stared intensely at the purple magic. The magic looked like steam, slowly wafting towards the sky in long, curling tendrils. Gray's eyes began to sting as he failed to blink them, afraid he might miss something. A tear dropped from his irritated left eye. It fell from his eye, finally breaking against the back of his hand. He looked down.

"Water." He mumbled, playfully freezing the leftover droplet. Then it hit him. "Ice. Water. Steam... Where there's steam, there's water. I can freeze it!"

In his exhausted and depleted state, it would take most of the magic energy he had left to freeze something warm enough to create steam, but he was out of options. Concentrating the energy he had remaining, Gray placed his left fist into his right palm and focused on the steam surrounding the cell door.

Beautiful snowflakes began to cover the cell bars and spread through the steam. The ice that was left in the Magic's place twinkled beautifully in the sunlight. Gray walked up to the frozen bars, punching them repeatedly until they shattered under the cold and pressure of his fist.

Now that he was outside of the cell, he could see a forest, trees covered in snow, opposite from the town he had seen earlier. In his tired state, the cold looked inviting and he felt the forest might provide reasonable protection from being spotted. Gray made his way to the forest, trudging through the drifts of snow.

He was reminded of his time with Ur and Lyon training in the snow and cold. He had the sudden urge to remove his shirt, which he did. Only his baggy gray pants and shoes were left. For the first time, he noticed that his necklace was gone. He was thought of the last time he had taken it off, just before kissing Lucy and falling asleep beside her.

Gray found a comfortable looking snow covered tree, and sat down beside it. He leaned his head back, resting it against the tree's trunk. He closed his eyes. A familiar giggle made him cringe just as he was drifting into sleep.

"So you figured out my clue?" Khione asked.

"Obviously." Gray still hadn't opened his eyes.

"You could thank me you know." Khione nudged Gray's shoulder but he shrugged her off. "So that girl you like... did Venus manipulate you?"

Gray was surprised by this question. "No. Venus manipulated her."

"Oooooh, how tragic. So you like her and you thought that she liked you too, but Venus told you she doesn't? You must be CRUSHED. What will you do when you see her again?"

Gray hadn't considered this in detail yet. As he did consider it, he worried how Lucy would feel if he explained that any feelings she had for him and any interactions they had were not her own. She was wholly dedicated to her friends and avoided hurting them whenever possible. It would eat away at her to know she caused Gray pain.

"Im not crushed. It's not a big deal. I'll just tell her that we were both manipulated and it won't even be a concern. We can pretend nothing ever happened."


	22. You Have to Know

Khione looked at Gray, pity evident in her eyes. For the first time since Gray had met her, her playful air had dissipated. "That seems awfully sad." She mumbled.

"What do you care?" Gray's patience with their conversation had gone. He felt he had already over shared with Khione and he wasn't sure why. Giving so much information to someone, even those he was close with, was out of the ordinary for him.

Khione suddenly looked sad. Gray thought he even saw guilt in her glance as she bit her lip. He turned his face back to the ground, which was covered in white, fluffy snow. He found the cold relaxing. Both Khione and Gray were silent, but still, she didn't leave. Gray began to feel the exhaustion of his day and usage of magic power weighing heavily on his eyelids. He rested his back comfortably against a snow covered tree.

"Go to sleep. You'll be safe here." Khione stated matter-of-factly. Walking away from Gray, she waved her hand as though calling a friend over and several animals, all pure white, came to surround the tree Gray rested against. The patter of the various hooves and paws caused Gray to look up. He noticed Khione was nowhere to be found now. A gentle snow started to fall from the sky, and Gray felt the overwhelming notion that he was truly safe here. He let himself drift to sleep.

Lucy had been traveling through Olympus only for a few hours, but it felt like days. She had to be cautious not to be found by anyone, and this need for stealth slowed her down, preventing her from covering as much ground as she would have liked. Strangely, however, she had not actually seen anyone yet. The large buildings and roads that littered the land were all empty. It was as though the world had simply been abandoned. Jupiter had commented on this as well. He wondered if the gods had gone elsewhere in a futile attempt to prevent themselves from being trapped in a celestial key.

Lucy finally made it outside of the town and over a nearby hill which she hoped would conceal her from the town, on the off chance someone was there. As she made her way over the peak of the hill, she saw a beautiful field. The trickle of a river running through the field reached Lucy's ears. "Ah..." She muttered, closing her eyes to better focus on the sounds surrounding her.

Without any warning, the body of a petite woman came crashing onto Lucy from above. The woman's butt was squishing the side of Lucy's face into the ground. Lucy's eyes danced with stars until the woman got up and began brushing herself off.

"Bad landing." She said flatly, unconcerned by what had just occurred.

Lucy got up, fury in her eyes. "What's the big idea?! What kind of psycho just comes crashing down from the sky, no idea what or WHO they'll crush?!" The girl stared back at Lucy, looking her up and down, appearing to appraise her.

"You don't seem all that great to me."

"Hey! I get enough of that from one of my celestial spirits (Lucy thought of Aquarius) and I DON'T need it from YOU! Besides, you don't seem so great yourself. Who wears all white?"

"The goddess of snow, that's who! And i would think you should be nicer to me since I'm here to take you to someone i think you may know."

Lucy's heart seemed to stop for a moment as everything clicked in her mind. "Goddess of snow... you can take me to Gray? Is he alright?" The last question was barely audible. Lucy found it difficult to even imagine a negative response.

Khione eyed Lucy curiously. "He's fine physically. He hasn't gone crazy or anything either, so don't freak out. Things are just a bit confusing for him right now i think."

Lucy found this response curious but decided she wouldn't waste any more time conversing with the snow goddess. "So how do we get there?" Lucy looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun. She imagined that there was a vehicle of some kind hovering there where Khione had dropped from.

Khione chuckled. "We'll fly. I'm the daughter of the god of the north wind. I can alter the way wind flows and how it supports weight for me and anyone touching me. We'll simply ride the wind.

Lucy's face dropped. The prospect of riding on nothing and trusting hastily in this strange woman was less than ideal. However, Lucy knew there was no alternative. Khione held out her hand, which Lucy took without hesitation. Khione's skin was extremely pale and extremely cold. Lucy found the sensation shocking; it was like holding onto ice.

Lucy suddenly felt herself being lifted as though she was a kite finally being allowed free reign in the sky. Higher and higher the wind took the two girls, until Lucy could barely see the ground beneath them. With a jet of cool air, they were thrust forward like a bullet from a gun. Lucy screeched until the shock of the acceleration wore off. Once they had been flying for a few minutes, she began to find the experience less terrifying and almost enjoyable.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Khione decided to speak, causing Lucy to jump.

"So how do you feel about Gray?" She asked.

Lucy turned her head to to stare at Khione, dumbfounded. However, Khione still looked forward to the horizon beyond, not acknowledging Lucy's surprise.

"What do you mean by that?" Lucy asked. "He's my friend. A good friend..." Lucy trailed off. They had had no time to discuss what they were, or how they felt beyond simplistic confessions of feelings. Lucy felt she had nothing concrete to say that they were more than friends at this point. For all she knew, even if they both had strong feelings, Gray might not be interested in a relationship for any number of reasons. The bottom line, Lucy decided, was that she would not be discussing all of these unknowns and concerns with the snow goddess.

"You have to be sure! Exactly sure! You need to KNOW." Khione emphasized the last word.

"Know what?!"

"What you want. You need to know exactly what you want or..." Khione stopped. "I told you, I'm the goddess of snow. My name is Khione. I rule over snow, ice, cold, all of it. I pretended that i didn't know Gray at all when i went to him while he was imprisoned just a few hours ago. The truth is, I've watched him ever since he started training with Ur. Before him, i watched over Ur for nearly a decade. Ice wizards don't know it, but ice magic can't be used well without my okay. I've become really fond of Gray, and I'm worried about what's ahead for him."

"What's ahead for him? Why are you worried?"

"Gray has taken on so many demons; some physical and some mental. I know he's capable of a lot, but i don't know if he can handle emotional demons too."

Stopping suddenly, the air formed a soft barrier, causing both Khione and Lucy to float upright. Khione turned to look Lucy straight in the eyes. "So you have to /know/."

Lucy nodded, still not entirely sure what she was supposed to do. They floated gently down onto snowy ground. Khione gestured to a tree a few feet away from them and there sat Gray, slumped against the truck, sleeping peacefully.

Lucy ran to the tree and kneeled in front of Gray, shaking him gently. He slept on. She shook a little harder, also uttering his name. He slept on. She shook him hard. He still slept. Lucy's eye twitched with annoyance as she remembered how deep his sleep could be.

"Damnit Gray! I came all this way and you're just going to sleep?!" She yelled.

Finally, he stirred from his sleep. At first he thought he might be dreaming, but as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he saw that the images were too vivid to be a dream. "Luce?" He asked.

Lucy nodded, smiling.

His mood changed abruptly. "You shouldn't have come." Gray stated grimly, getting up from his spot. The small amount of snow that had covered his pants fell away, mixing unnoticeably into the ground.


	23. The Final Encounter

"Shouldn't have come? Why would you say something like that?" Lucy frowned. She leaned her head to the side, trying to peer around Gray's shoulder since he turned his back to her. "What's wrong?"

"I can take care of myself. There are things going on here that I need to handle without you."

Lucy began to bubble up with anger at his words. After all she had accomplished with him so far on this job, how dare he act as though she was a burden. "Oh yeah? Like what? And what about what I have to do here to save the gods?"

"Lucy, do you even know what it is that you need to do to save them? Face it! They've sent us on a wild goose chase for no reason but to watch us dance like puppets!" Gray still wouldn't turn his face to Lucy. His body felt warm with irritation.

"Gray... you're still not making any sense. Can you just tell me what's really going on here?"

Gray finally turned to face her, a cold expression in his eyes. "The one who imprisoned me was the goddess of love, Venus. She manipulated us to believe we had feelings for each other to suit some purpose which I don't understand yet. I need to figure that out."

Lucy's blood suddenly ran cold. She remembered what Khione had told her, 'you have to /know/'. Lucy felt confused and hurt by what he was saying. She wanted to ask more questions, to understand what he had heard and seen. Lucy glanced at Khione and saw her grave expression. Lucy decided to follow Khione's earlier advice and leave the questions for later.

"Gray, I don't care what that goddess said. She's wrong. I told you, I always had an eye on you. I always found you attractive. That wasn't something that just grew overnight or even during this adventure together. It's been there since I came to the guild. It's always been you. I have no doubts." Lucy reached her soft fingers to touch Gray's shoulder. He jerked away immediately upon feeling her touch, afraid it would make his chest ache. "Gray, please.." Lucy whispered. Her breath was close enough to cause him to shiver.

Internally, Gray fought with himself. He had an innate desire to wrap his arms around this girl he had come to care for. However, he had now spent days with the gods. He felt he fully understood how their powers worked in relation to their titles. Every god that was provided a title, also had influence and control over their element. Gray could determine no reason why Venus would be any different. She was one of the strongest of the gods, an Olympian. There was no reason that Gray could discern for Venus to lie about her manipulation. The only option is that Lucy didn't understand how her feelings had been altered. Maybe he didn't understand how has had been altered, either, he worried.

"Lucy, this isn't just about what may or may not have been done to your feelings..." Gray mumbled, emphasizing the 'your'. He was determined to stick to his original plan.

Realization of what Gray was saying made Lucy's head pound with fear. "You're saying you don't think your feelings for me are genuine... so it doesn't matter what I feel." She began to examine the snow at her feet, avoiding looking towards Gray.

"None of this is our fault. What we need to do is find Venus, get some answers, and go home. This job has been more trouble than it was worth from the get-go. Let them fix their own damn problems and stop interfering with our lives."

Gray avoided looking at Lucy too. He worried she might cry, and he wasn't sure the sight of her broken hearted face would be something he could handle. To his surprise, however, she responded without conviction instead of sadness.

"Right. Let's find that witch and get some answers."

'I should know better than to underestimate her by now' he thought. He started to walk forward, believing that Lucy would follow him.

"Gray, I just have one more question before we go."

Gray turned to respond, but as he did, an enormous force that was too quick to see detail, came flying through the air. Right before Lucy's eyes, Gray was gone. She looked frantically back and forth, but spotted nothing but large footprints in the snow. They led deeper into the forest.

"Khione, any idea what the hell that was?!" Lucy asked.

Khione's eyes were wide. "It had to be him... but why is he here? I don't understand what would lead him here... or why he would take Gray..." Khione seemed to be speaking more to herself than responding to Lucy's question.

Lucy stomped up to Khione. She snapped her fingers in front of the frightened girl's face. "Earth to Khione! Who is this he?"

Khione jumped, causing some snow to splatter on to Lucy's legs. "Sorry... I spaced out... it's Mars. But I just can't understand what his motivation for getting involved in this is."

"Well, we've encountered Pluto and Neptune. They were both pretty nasty and selfish. They seemed to enjoy Jupiter being held captive in a key and they wanted to take the throne for themselves! Maybe this guy is the same?"

Khione shook her head. "No. Neptune and Pluto are angry that their brother took the throne instead of them, but Mars couldn't care less about something like that. He's the god of war. But don't freak out!" Khione added the last part as she noticed Lucy's horror struck face upon hearing the word 'war'. "He kind of acts like a teenage boy. He always wants to fight for fun and show off his strength. He loves to watch the wars of humans from above and he instigates wars sometimes too. He's reckless and loves battle, but he isn't out to kill people. Not usually anyway. He views death more as a necessary consequence of war and doesn't enjoy it, if that makes sense."

"That makes no sense at all! How can he like war but not like death?"

Khione shrugged. "Maybe it's the difference between the mind of a god and that of a human."

Lucy started to stomp forward, following the footsteps with a determined look in her eyes. 'If this wasn't such a serious situation, I might have found it funny that Gray has been kidnapped twice in a few days.' She thought.

Khione floated gracefully behind Lucy. "Where do you think you're going?"

Lucy didn't look back, but continued to keep her eye studiously on the footsteps and landscape ahead. She still couldn't make out much beyond the darkness of the trees directly in front of her. This part of the forest was incredibly dense. The trees gave an eerie green glow to the snow, as though it was covered in moss.

"I'm going to get Gray back and finish this. I've had enough. I don't care who this guy is, or who Venus is, or what any of these damn gods want! I just want him alive and i don't care if he's with me or someone else! He has to come back home!" Tears began to drip gracefully down Lucy's cheeks. They traced their way to her chin before falling away to become one with the snow. She wiped them away angrily. "Are you coming or not?" She asked Khione,

"I'm coming."

Several minutes past as they continued to walk, finally coming to a house in the midst of the forest. Lucy opened its small wooden door and her eyes were met with a room that appeared much larger than it should have been based on the house's outter dimensions. A dim light came from a fire in the corner. A few feet away from the fire, Gray was shackled onto the wall. In a corner opposite the fire, a beautiful, ethereal looking woman lay slumped. In the center of the room was a young man.

"Well miss celestial wizard, i think it's time we wrap things up, don't you?"


	24. The Origins of Celestial Magic

Lucy could hear her heart pounding in her ears. The person in front of her wasn't what she had expected. He was thin, but obviously in shape. His body was built like a runner. He wore ripped, faded black jeans and black boots. His body was covered in scars. One particularly nasty one ran almost the entire length of his left arm. He wore a smug grin.

"I agree, Mars." Lucy set her fears aside and responded as though the god was nothing more than an annoyance to her.

"I know you're already acquainted with one of my guests, but I'm assuming you don't know the other?" Mars paused, and when Lucy didn't respond, he continued. "The goddess of love, Venus." He gestured to the woman slumped in the corner.

Lucy gasped. "That's terrible! Isn't she one of you?!"

"That's up for debate after the stunt she's pulled." Mars shrugged.

"What is that supposed to mean? What did she do that was so unforgivable?" Lucy remembered what Gray had said about the manipulation of their feelings for one another, but she doubted this was even on the war god's radar.

"Interestingly enough, you should be angry with her too. You see, the reason that the gods have been getting trapped in keys, is because of her."

Khione shrieked in horror. Lucy's mouth dropped open, creating a comical "O". "You can't be serious. How could a love goddess have the ability to do that?!"

"Hundreds of years ago, Venus and I were a couple. We had become aware of the existence of the celestial world even before celestial wizards existed. Venus and I went to meet with the celestial king because she wanted to create a magic that humans could use through bonds with the celestial spirits. The king agreed to this arrangement and the laws of celestial magic were created. However, we also found out that it was possible for any being to become trapped in the celestial world, no matter how powerful, as long as 2 conditions were met."

Lucy hung on the war god's every word as he spoke about the origin of her magic.

Mars continued. "First, someone of reasonably equal power must initiate the entrapment by making a request to the celestial spirit king. Second, their intentions would be judged by the king and their reasons for entrapping the beings would have to be pure and unselfish."

Lucy stared at the unconscious goddess. She glowed with a beauty that Lucy had never seen before. Lucy wondered how Mars had been able to get her to the house they stood in and why she was unconscious. Even while learning Venus was the source of Lucy's many troubles over the last several days, she found herself worried about the goddess.

"So she obviously had selfless intentions, but that still doesn't tell us what they were." Lucy stated, turning back to Mars.

"That's where my own speculation comes in, but I'm fairly certain I'm right. You see, the gods have the ability to manipulate humans. We can't control them directly, but we can plant love, hate, violence, creativity in their hearts. For thousands of years, we've used this ability to manipulate humans to fight our wars for us. Every major war that's occurred on your world, has been a result of us having an argument and using humans to solve it. Gods aren't supposed to battle one another because of the problems it can cause, so we settle disagreements that way."

"That's sick! So you use people, cause thousands of deaths, just to fight over petty nonsense?!"

Mars slammed his fist against a small table that stood next to him. The table turned to dust under his force and sprinkled to the floor. "The disagreements of the gods are not petty, ignorant girl. We could crush all of you in an instant if we wanted to. We let you live and our grace gives us the right to use you to suit our purpose."

Lucy scoffed. "You should be ashamed of yourselves. So, what, did Venus get fed up with it and decide to entrap you all?"

"Not quite. Once the celestial wizards starting using the new celestial magic, Venus started spending an enormous amount of time on earth. She began to understand and appreciate the love" Mars made a gesture as though he would be sick "that humans had borne within their hearts. Our relationship ended shortly after because she disagreed with my methods of manipulation. She felt the humans deserved to live lives without our interference, which would surely result in less pain and death. She got so close to some of celestial wizards that she felt every one of their emotions, and understood the pain wars caused them."

"You see, a legend exists that states that our ability to manipulate the humans would disappear if our king ever gave his life for the sake of a holder of celestial magic, celestial wizards, I'd guess. I believe Venus trapped the gods in the keys, and found an appropriate celestial wizard, to provide time for our king, Jupiter, to empathize with you. Perhaps she expects that he will love you through experiencing with you all of the struggles, emotions, and sacrifices of your own heart through this mission to save us. She's probably right. What I need now is to ensure that the king does not sacrifice himself for your sake. If I can't manipulate humans, war might virtually disappear. Without war, I'm powerless. I will not allow every other god to go on while I wither in weakness because of her god damn bleeding heart!"

Lucy couldn't find the words to respond to Mars' tale. She reached her hand to her hip and slipped her fingers into the pouch holding her celestial keys. She felt for the familiar emblem of the lightening bolt, the god king. Reacting to her touch, Jupiter came from the key in a swirl of mist and landed angrily on his feet.

"You're so afraid of having your power reduced that you're willing to hurt Venus? You loved her at one time, did you not?" Jupiter asked Mars menacingly.

Mars shrugged. "A god of war doesn't love. She was an acceptable partner for a while."

A faint groan made everyone in the room jump. Gray was starting to open his eyes and muttered to himself, calling out for Lucy. He raised his head and took in the scene around him. He glared at the shackles causing him to be trapped against the wall.

"Enough of this!" Jupiter raised his hand and caused two bolts of lightening to destroy Gray's shackles. Gray fell to the floor haphazardly before scrambling to get next to Jupiter. Gray stood beside him, ready to fight.

Before Lucy had a moment to think, Gray and Jupiter flew at Mars. Their movements were incredible, but it was clear that Mars had an expertise in battle. The fact that he was able to block two fighters at once while landing a few blows himself was impressive to say the least.

An especially fierce blow from Mars caused Gray to fly back against the wall and hold his head in his hands.

Lucy ran to his side and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Gray nodded. "I think I'm just in their way, I can't keep up."

Lucy understood. Without Gray in the midst, Jupiter seemed to kick his attacks up a notch. Perhaps he had been afraid of accidentally hitting Gray. Bolts of lightening and jets of fire flew back and forth. It seemed that much of Mars' magic was related to fire and physical ability.

A simultaneous blow caused their fists to pound against each other and both gods flew back. They regained their sturdy stance and faced one another, huffing. Mars smirked.

Seeing an opening where Mars seemed unguarded, Gray flew back at the god, creating a spear to plow through him. "Ice make lance!"

However, Mars noticed just a moment too soon and sent an attack that Lucy knew immediately would be impossible to survive,


	25. The Depths of Your Heart

Instinctively, Lucy reached out her hand in a futile attempt to stop the horrible attack from reaching Gray. The world seemed to exist in slow motion for a few powerful seconds as Lucy watched the blast crawl closer to Gray. His face turned to her, suspended in time, a knowing smirk adorning his lips that clearly said "goodbye".

Lucy felt her heart tear in two. There was no other way to describe the ache she felt in watching these final moments, unable to help. She willed her legs to move, to find a way to block the attack, but they stood still. Her body knew it was hopeless even though her mind willed it to be different.

Lucy was about to close her eyes in rejection of the truth. As she did, a bright flash caused her eyelids to shoot back open. The light emanating from where the attack should have met Gray was blinding. It didn't seem like the light of an attack of death. On the contrary, she found the hue to be most like Jupiter's lightening.

The flash finally began to calm down. Lucy blinked the spots of light from her eyes. The brilliance had blinded her for a moment. The sight that met her eyes was one of relief and renewed heart break for the celestial wizard.

"Jupiter..." She muttered.

The god was lying on the floor. His typical misty, foreboding appearance was gone. Instead, his body appeared quite solid and extremely old. He no longer had the look of the wizened old god. This had been replaced with the build of a frail, dying old man.

Gray laid on the floor about a foot behind Jupiter. He was completely intact, without a single scratch added to his body from the attack. Lucy couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as she scoped Gray's body for permanent injury. However, her mind immediately returned to Jupiter's well being. She was unsure of exactly what had happened to him. He didn't appear to be wounded, but his body was clearly affected by the attack. Mars stood across the room, chuckling.

"What are you getting at, old man? So you sacrifice yourself for some young wizard, for what? It's obviously done you in... The best part is, you didn't risk your life to save the celestial wizard, so there's no way our control can be broken!" Mars howled with laughter.

Lucy and Gray turned to Jupiter, aghast. His body continued to age before their very eyes. Slowly, cracks were beginning to form in his flesh where his veins should have been.

"Enough, Mars!" The feminine voice had come from behind Mars. Where Venus once lay slumped in the corner, their was emptiness. The radiant goddess of love had appeared behind mars, anger etched on her face. The look of detest seemed misplaced on a form as delicate as Venus'.

Mars jumped slightly but quickly regained his composure, "Sorry to have to foil your plan, V... It was a good try though."

Venus suddenly started to chuckle along with Mars. This caused him to stop abruptly. "What are you laughing at?" He asked.

"You're still under a mistaken impression... yes, you're correct that I trapped the gods in the keys. AND you're correct about why i did it. The humans deserve to be able to live and allow their own love or hatred to guide their decisions. You're correct that i worked with the celestial king to request the gods be entrapped in the celestial keys, one by one. I guided Lucy to Jupiter's key, after waiting for generations for the right celestial wizard to come along, i knew that Lucy would take on the quest to help the gods. I knew her bravery and kind heart would lead her where she needed to go. I hoped that by seeing the goodness within Lucy's heart, Jupiter and the other entrapped gods would come to appreciate the natural emotions of the humans."

Lucy and Gray stared at the goddess, entranced by her explanation. Mars, however, continued to smirk as though the war had already been won.

"When Gray accompanied her, I was even more sure of how jupiter's heart would be softened towards humans."

"Excuse me, but what made you think that?" Lucy asked.

Venus turned to Gray and Lucy, kindness in her eyes. "I did not manipulate the love you two share. On the contrary, I ensured that the circumstances around the events the took place in your search for the god keys provided you the courage and confidence to confess to one another what you had felt all along."

Gray swallowed hard. Everything he had said to Lucy before, about their feelings being manipulated, and him being unsure, all seemed so ridiculous now. He walked next to Lucy and pulled her into his chest.

"I'm sorry, Luce" he whispered.

Lucy nuzzled her head into Gray's chest, taking in his scent of mountains and birch trees. Venus turned back to Mars.

"You see, spirits feel the emotions of their wizards. Every ounce of pain, bit of love, and prick of fear. I knew that by binding gods, who did possess some amount of empathy for the humans, to the right celestial wizard, they would come to love humans as i do. I was clearly right." Venus looked to Jupiter who continued to wither.

Mars cackled again. "But it doesn't matter! I was there! I know the legend! The king has to give his life for the wizard he is bound to. That's the celestial wizard. That's LUCY!" Mars pointed aggressively.

Venus shook her head. "You've never been the best at listening, mars. The king had to give his life FOR Lucy. He did that tonight."

Mars' face dropped. "Ex... excuse me? You're lying! That blast was nowhere near her!"

"You misunderstand matters of the soul as usual, mars. Jupiter gave his life for Lucy because he gave his life for Gray. He did that because he has been able to feel the love Lucy holds for Gray while he was bound to her. He felt the pain Lucy felt as she watched Gray about to be killed. Jupiter gave his life for Lucy's happiness. That is all that was required to break the hold we have over humans."

Mars stood transfixed, his mouth agape. Lucy and Gray stared at Venus, shocked. A weak cough from Jupiter shook Lucy from her amazement.

Lucy ran to Jupiter's side, cradling his frail, solid form. Tears began to well in her eyes as she watched him struggle to open his eyes even slightly. Jupiter lifted his now bony hand to Lucy's cheek.

"You are a wonderful... human..." he struggled to get the words out. "All Venus said... and more... you have taught me... i... am blessed... to have experienced the depths of your heart..."

Lucy's tears began to fall, dropping onto Jupiter's chest. She scrambled to place the hand that wasn't holding Jupiter around his key. "You can just return to the celestial world and heal!" She cried. "You'll be fine!" She placed the key to Jupiter's chest in a futile attempt to return him. The lower half of his body was already beginning to turn to dust. The key melted as though the glass had suddenly become ice within Lucy's hand.


	26. Soul

"No!" Lucy shouted, watching helplessly as Jupiter faded from existence. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks. She felt Gray's hand press against her shoulder. "I don't want this." She muttered. The pain Lucy felt building in her chest was intense. If she didn't know any better, she may have thought it would physically spill from her.

"You think you're so noble." Mars turned back to Venus, hatred etched on his features. "But you willingly killed the king of the gods to suite you're own purpose. Are you really any better than me? You think we shouldn't manipulate the humans to our whims, but you manipulated those humans and all of the gods you trapped. You sacrificed the king like a dog."

Lucy stood up, anger and pain still filling her soul. Gray placed his arm around her shoulder. She eyed Venus, frowning. Khione shot her head back and forth between Lucy and Venus, wondering what would happen next.

"How could you?!" Lucy demanded. "Mars is right!" Mars looked pleasantly surprised at this revelation. "You may have been trying to help people, but intentionally sacrificing someone in the process is wrong! You may be gods, but you have no idea how to treat your friends! Your friends are your family... those around you should be treasured, not expended!" Lucy lifted her right hand and glanced at her guild mark. Gray placed a hand to the mark and his chest.

"Lucy is right. We're members of fairy tail where everyone is an important part of our family. People, spirits, cats, it doesn't matter. If you're with us, we'll sacrifice everything to protect our family."

Lucy turned her head to view Jupiter again. The last of his body had turned to dust. The key he had once belonged to was completely vanished. Lucy cried out. "I couldn't save him! After everything he did for me, I couldn't save him!"

Falling to her knees, she buried her head in her arm and cried. The pain in her chest began to grow again. The feeling that her feelings might burst from her body returned. "Damnit!" She yelled, slamming her fist into the ground. As her hand made contact with the floor, a sudden glow burst forth from her body.

"Lucy!" Gray yelled, trying to grab her from the bright light. The light kicked Gray back. It was like a living being.

"Could it be?" Venus muttered.

The light shot from Lucy to the area where Jupiter lay just a moment ago. Lucy fell to the ground, sweating.

"Are you okay?!" Gray kneeled by her side.

"I'm fine..."

"Look!" Mars yelled, pointing.

Where his finger directed, a small, glowing orb floated a few inches from the floor. The orb shined light blue while wisps of smoke curled up from it.

Venus spoke up. "I believe... it's Jupiter's soul."

"What!?" Lucy turned to Venus, shocked. "What should we do with it!?"

Gray looked unsure. "Is it okay for it to just be... floating there?"

A strong, deep voice called from the sky, causing Gray to jump and fall over. He rubbed the lump on his head, trying to listen to the voice.

"Old friend." It called.

"Celestial king!?" Lucy knew who it was immediately.

The king chuckled. "Yes, it is I. Old friend, I was able to use the strength of your love and pain for Jupiter, and the last traces of celestial magic that flowed within him, to protect his soul. His soul holds his memories, emotions, heart; the very essence of his being."

"No way! But what are we supposed to do with it?" Lucy asked.

"Simply protect it. Over time, his body will reform as it was to accommodate his soul. I am not sure how long this process will take. I have never used this magic before and many factors can slow or speed the process. Do not allow his soul to come to any harm, however, and it will go smoothly."

Still staring at the sky, and holding Jupiter's glowing soul close, Lucy wiped the last of her tears from her eyes. "Thank you... celestial king..." She whispered. Turning to Gray, she smiled.

"I guess all this craziness is over, huh." Gray asked, smirking.

"I think the craziness may just be beginning. We still have to go back to the guild and explain to everyone that we're..." Lucy trailed off.

"What?" Gray looked at her, worried.

"I was going to say together but... we're really not, right? I mean, not officially. I just... don't mean to jump to conclusions... just..." Lucy babbled. She hadn't expected what happened next.

Gray's lips pressed against hers. His gruff hand pulled her chin up gently to allow his lips to gain a better grasp onto hers. Her eyes shot open in surprise at first, but quickly closed to allow her senses to fully enjoy the feel of his soft lips. She had been tense and afraid since this had all begun several days prior. The closeness of his touch allowed the tension to ebb away. A minute later, the ice wizard finally allowed Lucy to catch her breath.

"Whatever i need to call you to make sure everyone knows you're mine, that's what we are." Gray rumbled, still pulling Lucy close to against his chest.

Lucy blushed. "Alright."

Remembering they were surrounded by three gods, Lucy pulled herself from Gray and held out the god king's soul. "Venus, i think you should have this."

"Me?" Venus asked, surprised.

"Yes. You heard the celestial king. It needs to be protect so his body can reform." Lucy's face became serious. "You owe it to Jupiter to protect him with everything you have, until he's able to protect himself again."

Venus smiled. "You're right... i would be honored."

Several hours later, Lucy and Gray had been transported back to earth, thanks to the gods. Annoyingly, however, they had left them about a day's journey from the guild. Night had fallen and Gray and Lucy decided to set up camp amidst a large field they have been traveling.

"The stars are so bright and clear tonight." Lucy crooned. "It's like the celestial world is thanking us."

Gray grunted. Lucy could see that he was removing his clothes. Gray always slept in his underwear. It never even mattered who was around, he truly couldn't sleep any other way. He climbed into his sleeping bag.

"Man, I'm exhausted." He muttered, turning to Lucy. He noticed a strange look in her. It was one he had never seen before, but it almost appeared slightly hungry.

"Too exhausted for me?" Lucy whispered.

Gray turned to look at Lucy. He realized he hadn't noticed her changing clothes. What she wore now shook him from his exhaustion.


End file.
